New Year, New Laws, New Life
by ichelleb
Summary: Lily and James begin their seventh year where new ministry laws force them to change.  Quickly becoming slightly AU.  Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 1**

"It's her, isn't it? She's Head Girl."

Remus sighed. For the past three weeks their conversations always returned to this point. "I think she is, Prongs. You think she is. Sirius thinks it, as does Peter. Face it, Lily is the only obvious choice for Head Girl."

The two walked through the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, nodding at students they recognized. "But what if it's not her, then what do I do."

"Mate, you need to stop all this worrying. It's Lily. No other seventh year girl is qualified."

"But Dumbledore made me Head Boy. How do you explain that?" James stopped as they reached the door labeled "Prefects' Compartment."

"The same way I explained the fact that Lily's Head Girl. You're the only one with the qualifications."

"No, there has to be something else."

Remus looked into the compartment; it was already filled with the other prefects, including Lily Evans. "Look Prongs, I can't make you understand what you don't want to understand, but I'm going in. The meeting should be starting soon, and you need to be there before it does."

James sighed. "Fine, go. But I think I'll wait a few more minutes before I go in."

"All right, but I'm going to find a front row seat for this," Remus laughed as he spoke.

"You know, you're starting to sound more and more like Padfoot. I think he's corrupting your mind." James shook his head as he spoke, his fingers running through his hair while he glanced into the train compartment in front of them.

"Good luck mate," Remus said, clapping James on the shoulder before he walked into the compartment, "you're going to need it."

Remus immediately saw the flash of red hair as he walked through the door. "Hello, Lily."

Lily turned to face him. "Remus, it's good to see you. How was your summer?"

"It was alright. And how about yours, did your sister get married yet?"

"No. The wedding's going be during our Easter break. Just imagine my red hair combined with yards of fuchsia fabric, bows, ribbons, flowers, and anything else you can think of." She smiled as she spoke, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. The two stood by the door, comfortable with each other after two years of combined Prefect duties.

"So you're in the wedding then?"

"Oh, yes. No matter what Petunia or I said, our parents insisted that I be in the wedding. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with her as the time gets closer. I could barely handle her last summer, and this summer was an utter nightmare. Visiting churches and reception halls, florists and bakeries."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"No, it was worse." The corners of her mouth turned down as her voice lowered. "But I heard there were some problems near your neighborhood this summer," Lily said, their conversation turning serious.

Remus nodded his head, "Yeah, some muggle baiting and torture. No one was killed, so I guess that's a plus, but it's getting hard everywhere these days."

"I was worried when I read about it in the Daily Prophet. With all the new laws and regulations popping up everyday I was afraid that something happened and they were looking for you." Lily's green eyes conveyed the magnitude of her words.

"Your owl found me safe and sound. Thank you, Lily, I really appreciate it," Remus said, a smile taking over his face.

"Vita is always up for a trip. Plus, she enjoys your company. Rumor has it you feed her bits steak every time she visits." She smiled and placed her hand on his arm as gesture of comfort.

"When a gorgeous owl like that visits, you have to treat her right, or she may never return again."

"Don't give me that bull, Remus, I can see straight through it. You just like fattening her up so she won't want to eat the food I give her." Lily laughed as she spoke. Then, looking around the room she said, "Well, it looks like almost everyone is here. I guess I should get the meeting started soon."

Remus' smile suddenly lit up his entire face. "So you're Head Girl then?"

"Yes. You didn't know?"

"Oh, I had my suspicions, but it's nice to hear them confirmed."

Lily removed her hand from Remus' arm and placed it on her hip. "You damn well knew I was Head Girl before you even walked into this room, Remus Lupin." Her pleasant mood suddenly turned to confusion. "But aren't you Head Boy?"

Remus laughed. "No, no. Not me."

"But I was so sure it was you. The only other logical choice would have been Dennis McKinnon from Ravenclaw, but after he walked in and didn't say anything—" Lily stopped her sentence as the compartment door opened.

"Hello, everyone."

Lily's jaw dropped. "No way, Potter."

Remus continued to smile as he glanced back and forth between the two Heads of School. "I'll just go find a seat so you two can start the meeting."

James walked up to Lily and spoke quietly in her ear. "Look, I know this isn't your ideal situation, but there's nothing we can do about it now. So why don't we conduct the meeting; well, actually, you can do all the conducting as I haven't a clue as what to do, and we'll talk about this after everyone has left." James could feel the heat radiating off Lily's face.

"Fine," she hissed, "But trust me, you will follow my lead, or you risk the possibility of never having children. Do I make myself clear?"

James nodded, "Crystal."

**LJLJLJLJ**

The prefects filed out the door to find their friends and eventually begin their patrols.

"Please remember, everyone, roughly five to ten minutes every other hour, and not all at the same time. We want prefects consecutively patrolling the train, not simultaneously."

"Lily, it is always a pleasure talking to you. We will have to do it again sometime soon."

"Yes, Remus, we will," Lily said with a smile on her face. "By the way," her voice dropped to a whisper, "how did I do leading my first meeting?"

"Brilliant, just like I expected." Remus glanced at James standing behind Lily. "Be nice to him, Lily. He wants it to go smoothly."

Lily sighed. "We'll see, Remus."

Remus nodded. "I'll see you later, Lily." He nodded at James. "I'll talk to you in our compartment, Prongs." After Lily turned her back Remus mouthed, "Good luck."

James stood in the middle of the compartment as Remus, the last of the prefects, returned to the rest of the student body. His hands were in his pockets, and as he rocked on his heels his glasses fell slightly down his nose.

Lily walked around the room, picking up discarded papers and candy wrappers. "There's no need to be nervous, Potter."

"I'm not nervous."

"Oh?" Lily stopped and looked at James.

He ran his hand through his hair, unwittingly forcing pieces to stick up at odd angles. He swallowed the little spit left in his mouth.

"Let me make this easy for you, Potter. I don't know how you did it, or what in the name of Merlin Dumbledore was thinking, but we are now forced to be at least somewhat cooperative this year. If you and your friends stop your childish attitudes and your insane pranks, me and my friends will proceed to act cordially towards you."

"But—"

Lily held up her hand, stopping James from continuing his interruption. "When the train arrives at Hogsmede, you and I will make sure the first years find Hagrid safely. Then, we will board the last of the carriages driving us up to the castle. After the feast, we will make sure the prefects from each house lead their first years to the dormitories. When they have all left the Great Hall, we will join Professor Dumbledore in the room connected to the Great Hall, where we will receive further instruction."

James nodded during Lily's instructions. "OK, I get all that, but—"

"As I said during the meeting, prefects patrol in pairs, each pair patrols twice a week with a third rotation a few times a year. As Head Boy and Girl, we patrol every night between eleven and one."

"Does it have to be every night?" James asked, thinking of the full moon in two weeks time.

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, Potter, every night. I expect your full corporation, otherwise, there will be consequences." With that, Lily left the compartment to find her friends before patrolling the train corridor.

James stayed behind for a few minutes. He ran his hand through his hair. "It could have been worse," he said to the empty room. "It could have been a lot worse."

The compartment door opened again, and James turned, hoping Lily had returned.

"Hey, Potter."

James lifted his hand in a semi-wave. "Hi, McKinnon. How was your summer?"

James and Dennis McKinnon were enemies on the Quidditch pitch, but friendly towards each other while in school.

"Not too bad. Great actually, after I found out I wasn't Head Boy." Dennis began searching the compartment. "Ah, here they are."

"What do you mean?" asked James.

Dennis turned to face James. "My glasses. I only need them for reading, but I always seem to be leaving them somewhere. You'd think with all the advances of modern wizarding remedies, they'd find a better way to deal with poor eyesight."

"No, well yes, better eyesight would be a plus." James pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "I meant, why wouldn't you want to be Head Boy?"

Dennis sat, pointing to a chair indicating that James should also sit. "Look, out of the seventh year prefects, I knew I was the obvious choice. Lupin is a great guy, but too shy. I see him around you and your friends, and he's so relaxed that it makes him look like a completely different person around everyone else. Hell, it took almost two years before he finally relaxed around Lily, and that was only after she completely badgered him into it. And Snape, can you honestly expect anyone to listen to him with his fascination in the dark arts? If they did, it would only be out of fear, not out of respect."

"What about the Hufflepuff bloke, Adams, or Alberts?"

"It's Avairs, and he's too much of a happy-go-lucky type of guy. He's great when you want fun and laughter, but rubbish if you want to be serious. Not the best choice with the beginnings of a war going on."

"Alright, I get all that, but why wouldn't you want to be Head Boy?" James looked confused. Head Boy and Girl were privileges that very few students were awarded. Besides House Quidditch Captain, they were the other most coveted positions for Hogwarts students.

"It's not that I don't like the idea of being Head Boy. But you know what's going on out there right now. How can I lead an entire school into a dangerous war? I'm not that person, and I never wanted to be that person."

"But you wouldn't be leading them to war. You'd be teaching them to defend themselves, defend the honor of the wizarding world. It's something they need right now. You'd be a role model, someone to aspire to."

"That's why Dumbledore chose you, Potter, not me. I'm not that person. When it comes down to it, I will fight. But I'd prefer to hide behind a book. You're the natural leader. People listen to you. You've led Gryffindor to three Quidditch Cup victories, you already have the admiration and respect of the younger students, and," Dennis laughed, "you have quite the relationship with Miss Lily Evans."

James laughed and leaned back in his chair. "That's the part I'm most worried about."

Dennis stood to leave the compartment. "Don't be. That's the easy part. Just do what comes naturally, and everything else will fall into place." He opened the door and turned back. "During the meeting, you weren't yourself. Just find what you were missing an hour ago, and it will work for the two of you." He smiled and left James alone in the compartment to contemplate what he'd just learned.

**LJLJLJLJ**

"I can't believe Dumbledore made him Head Boy."

"Lils, we know, you've mentioned it a few times since you returned from the meeting," said Dorcas, one of the four seventh year Gryffindor girls lounging in the compartment. "And besides, I don't see what the big deal is—he is one of the most eligible boys in our year."

Lily stared at her friend, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "I can't believe you just said that."

"It's true, Lily," said Marlene, "he is available, and cute, and a great Quidditch player."

"Alice, are you hearing this. Please tell me they're joking."

"I'm afraid not, Lily." The quiet girl in the corner spoke up. "He always has girls going after him, which says quite a lot about him."

"Yeah, that he's a conceited, stuck up, know-it-all, pretty boy, pain in the arse." Lily sat on the bench by herself, her three friends across from her. Her arms crossed in front of her chest and she scowled as their conversation continued.

"Unfortunately for us merely mediocre girls, James has only eyes for you, Lils," said Dorcas. She picked through a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans in search of a watermelon-flavored bean. "Must be the hair, as it's not your personality. Ah, here we go," Dorcas popped the found bean in her mouth, "ugh, cough syrup. Anyway, you're too mean to him for it to be anything else."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Marlene looked up from the game of Exploding Snap she was playing with Alice. "Lily, you aren't very nice to him."

Lily threw her hands up in the air. "Why should I be nice to him? He's done nothing but torture me for the past six years, and now he's been given an open invitation by Dumbledore to annoy me whenever the hell he wants."

"Really, Lily. I think you're being a bit unfair," said Alice. "He wasn't that bad last year; it's almost as if he was trying to grow up. And I spent some time with him over the summer when I went to visit Frank; he's really quite nice."

"Not that bad! Quite nice!" Now Lily was shouting. "He's asked me out every day since the beginning of fifth year, he's turned my underwear purple, he's turned my hair green. He forces himself into every conversation I have with any other boys; and those boys who do manage to get in a few words without Potter finding out are eventually hexed and wind up in the hospital wing getting warts removed, or picking pieces of chalk out of their noses. And poor Sean Dougherty burped up slugs for a week because we went on not one date, but two. James Potter is ruining my life."

There was a knock at the door, followed by James' head leaning into the compartment. "Good day, ladies," he said before turning to Lily. "I was just going to patrol the corridor for a bit and I thought you might like to join me, Evans."

Lily glared at him from her seat. Her eyebrows almost joined in the center of her forehead and a slight twitch began under her left eye.

"No, well I guess since the corridors aren't very large there's no need for the both of us. We'll just start that paired patrolling once we get to the castle. Very well, then. I'll be seeing you, Dorcas, Marlene, Alice." James nodded to each girl in turn. "By the way, Evans," James said as he returned to her, "I didn't get a chance to mention it earlier, but you're looking gorgeous today. We really should go out sometime. Let's say Friday, after classes have ended for the week." James' eyes followed Lily's body down, then up, before stopping at her eyes and lifting his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and blowing her a kiss.

After he left the compartment Dorcas, Marlene, and Alice collapsed in a fit of laughter as Lily scowled at the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 2**

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts," said Professor Dumbledore. Lily thought he seemed older, more worn. His usually sparkling eyes held a tinge of sadness. "Before we begin the feast, I would like to impart a few words to ponder, retain, and hopefully enact throughout the year." He took a breath and glanced at each of the four tables in front of him. "There are trying times ahead of us, and I encourage everyone to work on building fruitful relationships, as well as resolve bitter feelings towards those we think are our enemies." With Dumbledore's eyes fixated on her, Lily couldn't turn her head to the one person she would have the most trying time fulfilling Dumbledore's orders with.

James Potter sat across the table and three seats down from Lily Evans, and his gaze stayed on her throughout the remainder of Dumbledore's speech. He watched as Lily twirled the ends of her hair around her fingers, a nervous habit she'd had since she was a little girl. Each time James caught Lily playing with her hair, he wished he could hold her fingers in his hand, stilling their movements with a calming touch.

"A new way is quickly advancing upon us. For some, it has already been imposed upon our daily lives. For others, it is only a matter of time. We will need strength to approach it, and constant reminders of how to overcome it." Dumbledore sighed as the corners of his mouth turned upwards once more. "But enough of this talk for now. Tonight is for laughter, friendship, and food. Enjoy." As his last words rang out in the Great Hall, Dumbledore raised his arms and the tables filled with food.

"What do you think all that meant?"

Three young men turned to look at their fourth companion. "Are you daft, Wormtail, or are you really ignorant to everything that's been going on?" Sirius stared at the shorter boy who was filling his plate with mashed potatoes.

Peter looked up and glanced at each of them in turn, his eyes widening at the shocked faces. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Sirius' voice rose, drawing the attention of the students sitting closest to them. "Prongs, are you hearing this? What do I mean?"

"Padfoot, I hear you, as does everyone else, so could you please—"

"Why am I not surprised, Potter. Not even a full hour in the castle and you're already causing an uproar," Lily said as she glared at the four boys. "Just remember, Potter, you're Head Boy now, you can't be the one to cause the commotion, you need to be the one to stop it this year." Lily turned away from the self-proclaimed Marauders, and continued her conversation with Alice.

Remus turned toward James as Lily returned to her friends. "So I guess your conversation didn't go well on the train."

James sighed, "No, she still hates me."

"Cheer up mate," said Sirius, "it can't be that bad. When Remus came back from the prefect meeting he said he thought it went rather well."

James shook his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "That's what I thought; the meeting was fine. We talked about passwords to the dormitories and what to look out for when patrolling. Then everyone else left the compartment and it was just the two of us. She would only speak about our duties, nothing else. How is she supposed to fall in love with me if she won't even talk to me?"

"Well, it was to be expected."

"Moony, what an awful thing to say." Sirius' eyes widened, surprised that Remus would speak so freely about Lily in front of James.

"No, Sirius, it's true. We need to start addressing the facts. And you, James need to start understanding them." Remus used his knife and fork to punctuate his meaning. "The four of us have been playing pranks on Lily Evans since our first year. You can't actually expect her to change her mind about Prongs just because he's now Head Boy."

Peter's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Yeah, but Moony, she considers you her friend, and you helped us with most of those pranks."

"While I don't deny that I was often unable to stop the three of you, or more specifically, James, from tormenting Lily, my role was usually diminished or dealt with research and not execution. Plus, we had to form an amicable relationship in fifth year during our prefect duties. And it wasn't until late last year that she considered me a true friend and confidant."

James sighed, his thoughts returned to his conversation with Dennis McKinnon on the train. "Was that because of you or her, I wonder?" James asked under his breath.

"What?" asked Remus.

James shook his head, his gaze firmly rested on Lily. "I can't wait two years to become her friend, Moony. This has to be the year she realizes that I really do love her. There's too much going on for us to wait."

"Mate, you've got an awful way of showing your love."

James looked at Sirius. "I've asked her out, given her flowers and candy, tried to write her poetry, and all but professed my love for her at the Quidditch finals last year. How else am I supposed to show her how I feel?"

Remus sighed. "Do you think that maybe all the attention you give her could be the reason she won't give you a second glance?"

"No, no. That can't be it."

"It could be that time you turned her hair green," said Peter.

"But it matched her eyes."

"What about when you stole her Charms' notes?" said Remus.

"I'd lost mine and she's the best in Charms. Who else would I borrow notes from?"

"Notes from an entire year right before exams? Without even telling her you took them?"

"I was desperate."

"Yeah," Peter laughed as he spoke, "but then you had purple fungus growing out of your nose for a month because she wouldn't tell anyone the counter curse."

"And then there was that time—"

"I get it. You guys can stop now." James looked down and picked at his food.

"It's not all bad," said Remus.

"Moony, it can't get much worse."

"No, but she does care about you."

James lifted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't going to tell you, but you were mentioned in the few letters we managed to send each other over the summer."

James smiled. "I always knew it. What did she say, Moony?"

Remus shook his head. "It's between us, mate. But I will say this, she did recognize that you've changed in the past year, though she'll deny it to the death."

James returned to his plate, his appetite renewed. "Thanks, Moony."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"So I hear you fancy me, Evans." The rest of the students had moved from the Great Hall and were making their way to the dormitories. James and Lily walked toward the side room for their first meeting with Professor Dumbledore.

"Where on earth would you hear such a monstrous lie like that?" Lily asked; her face contorted in disgust as she quickened her pace. "Let's just get this forced time together done and over with, Potter."

Professor Dumbledore stood at the entrance to the side room. "Welcome Miss Evans, Mister Potter. Please let's do begin, I fear it has been a very long day."

Lily and James followed Dumbledore into the room and sat in the two chairs provided for them.

"For the basics," said Dumbledore, "as you read in my note on the train, or as Miss Evans read and relayed to you, Mister Potter, you are to patrol every night between eleven and one. Tonight you will be excused; the teachers will keep watch for one night. I'm afraid the longer patrols are part of the extra precautions I felt necessary to impart this year. If you observe any suspicious activity, I would like to be informed. Is this clear?"

Lily and James nodded their heads.

"Good. Now, we will meet in my office every Friday to discuss any concerns you may have, as well as plan Hogsmede weekends and various feasts and celebrations." Dumbledore sighed, suddenly weary. "I feel we need to make this year as pleasant as possible. We are due for many changes, and very few will be good, I fear."

"Sir," said James, "what exactly are we in for?"

Dumbledore smiled. "That, my dear James, is a question for another night. Now, if Miss Evans has no questions or comments," Lily shook her head 'no,' "then I will see the two of you Friday night at seven. Please bring your ideas for the year. And oh, I like Cockroach Clusters."

Lily and James left the room, more apprehensive than soothed after their short meeting with Dumbledore.

"I was hoping he would say something that would help me get through the year without worrying about everything," Lily said as they walked to the Gryffindor tower.

"Nothing comes without worry now. It's all thanks to Voldemort."

Lily glanced at James. "You don't cringe or shudder when you say his name."

"I didn't see you do either."

Lily shook her head.

"I don't fear him," James said.

"You're awfully confidant."

"It's not a question of confidence, Evans. It's a matter of fact. I don't fear Voldemort because I know I will fight him, and I will defeat him."

Lily smirked. "This coming from a boy with no Auror training, only practical defense against the dark arts exercises in a controlled environment, and over fifty years less experience than the most feared man in our world."

"Someone has to know they will defeat him."

"You'll kill yourself in the process, Potter."

"Does this mean you won't fight?" James asked.

Lily stopped and faced James. "No, I will fight. But I'll fight smart. I won't go into war simply knowing I will win. I'll go prepared, with training and knowledge."

James shook his head. "Don't you get it? This is war; there's no time for that. It's all or nothing."

"It can't be all or nothing, Potter. I won't allow it." Lily began walking again and quickened her pace.

The two remained silent as they continued their way to the tower. As they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady James said, "Nifflers," and the portrait opened to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

"So I'll meet you here tomorrow at eleven to start our rounds?"

"Sure," said Lily, already starting on the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

James watched Lily climb the stairs until they rounded, following the natural spiral of the tower. "Good night, Lily," he whispered before heading up to the boys' dorms.

**LJLJLJLJ**

The next morning found Lily sitting in the Great Hall surrounded by the Gryffindor first years full of questions and observations.

"Does the ceiling ever turn real? I mean if it was raining outside, would it start raining inside?"

"Well, no. Except that one time, but it wasn't rain, it was snow, and really, it was the Marauders; it should never have—"

"Can the people come out of the pictures?"

"No. At least I've never—"

"I had a real conversation with a ghost last night. He showed me where they tried to chop his head off with a dull blade. It was so cool."

"That's Nearly Headless Nick. And actually, his head's—"

"Do you think we'll get to use magic right away? My brother always teases me that he can do magic and I can't. I'd love to get him back just once."

"Well, you should know that magic isn't to be treated lightly. You need to be careful or—"

"Good morning everyone."

Lily looked up and sighed in relief as James approached the Gryffindor table. "Good morning, Potter. I trust you remember the new Gryffindors?"

"How could I forget? You're the ones that will carry on our tradition of bravery and honor after the two of us have gone."

The first years slid down on the bench so James could sit next to Lily. He smiled in apology, but Lily just shrugged her shoulders.

"How did everyone sleep? Were you warm enough? Did you stay up making friends?" James was a natural with the young students. He kept the conversation between them going throughout breakfast with quick comments and trivia. After Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor House, handed out the time tables to the younger students, James pointed them in the right direction to their first Charms class, even warning them to be mindful of the staircase, because "it likes to move around in the morning and not return to where you need it to be for quite some time."

"That was nice of you," said Lily as the two of them made their way to the dungeons for Potions.

James ran a hand through his hair. "I thought that's part of what Heads and Prefects do—help the little ones."

"They're not all little. Did you see that new Syltherin? He looked like he ate another first year."

James let out a burst of laughter, his eyes sparkled behind his glasses "Too true, my dear Lily. Too true."

Lily felt her heart jump at James' sudden burst of laughter, or was it his use of her first name. "I wonder what's in store for our last year? We have N.E.W.T.s coming up."

"Ugh, don't even mention N.E.W.T.s, Evans. My parents talked about them non-stop over the summer. I need at least one days rest from them," James said, his face twisted, causing a Hufflepuff second year to laugh as she passed by.

Lily forced a smile on her face as they descended to the dungeons. As they entered their Potions classroom, Lily looked for an empty seat, finding two available seats at the same table as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Her only other option was next to Severus Snape.

"Come on, sit with us," James whispered in Lily's ear. "Though we don't have your charms when it comes to Slughorn, we're not all that bad at potions."

Lily nodded and walked with James to the empty seats. "Good morning Remus, Black."

"Good morning, Lily. I trust your first night was an enjoyable one?" Remus smiled at their formality.

"Yes, it was thank you. And you, did you enjoy the feast last night?"

"I found it quite informative." Remus smiled at James as he spoke.

"Please, inform me, dear friend, what you learned last night," James said as he glared at Remus.

"Oh, I think that information should be left for another time. Besides, here comes our dear professor now."

Lily watched the interaction with interest, noting how Sirius chose to ignore his two friends.

"Good morning, class," said Professor Slughorn as he shuffled to the front of the classroom. "You're knee deep in N.E.W.T. preparations now, and must begin to act like it. To start, a bit of a review. On the board are three separate potions. We'll begin easy and work our way up to the more difficult potions. Please pair up and choose one to be completed by the end of class." With a wave of his wand, _Forgetfulness Potion_, _Sleeping Draught_, and _Confusing Concoction_ wrote themselves on the board.

"Well, at least he's right. They are easy ones. Nothing past third year," said Sirius. "So what'll it be, Moony? I'm thinking we might need to confuse someone soon."

"Sounds good, Padfoot." With that, the two left the table to gather ingredients.

"So, how about it, Evans? Do you want to forget, sleep, or be confused?"

Lily glanced around the room, noticing that she and James were the only two who hadn't started gathering ingredients. "Oh, well. Um."

James laughed. "I meant it, you know. I'm really not that bad at potions."

"I know," Lily said, nodding her head in assurance.

"Forth in the class; not to shabby."

Lily tried to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting upwards. "You couldn't do any better than forth?"

James let out another quick burst of laughter, forcing Lily's insides to jump as they did earlier. "Well, I do have to compete with you and Moony. And lets not forget that Snape has an unnatural ability when it comes to this stuff."

Lily quieted at Snape's name. "How about the Forgetfulness Potion."

James noticed Lily's change of attitude when he mentioned Snape. He nodded. "Right, we want to forget. Why don't you set up here, and I'll get what we need from the school store."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Today was a good day, wasn't it?" asked James. He and Lily had just started their first patrol. They began near the trophy room, glancing in empty classrooms and behind statutes looking for students out of bed.

"What do you mean, Potter?" Lily marched ahead, eager to end the night without too much hassle.

James ran a hand through his hair, forcing bits to stick up near the back. "For starters, you actually talked to me today."

"I'm forced to talk to you most days, Potter," Lily said, her voice monotone and bored.

"Yes, but today you enjoyed talking to me." James smiled. "This only proves that you should go out with me."

Lily sighed and continued walking.

"Plus, you sat with me though two classes today. Potions and Charms. And you know how Slughorn hates when we switch Potions' partners, that means we'll be partnered together for the rest of the year."

"I had little choice in that matter, Potter. It was either you or Snape."

"Which means I'm the better man." James fixed a cocky grin on his face and began to swagger.

Lily suddenly turned, forcing James to stop abruptly. "No, Potter. It means you are simply the lesser of two evils. I would have preferred to work alone, but I felt nice this morning. I'm not feeling so nice now."

"What happened, Lily?" James asked.

"Nothing. Forget it." Lily turned and continued walking along the empty corridor.

"Lily."

Her stomach filled with pixies, and they had trouble staying still.

"I know the two of you used to be friends. What happened?"

Lily ignored her rapidly beating heart. "It was nothing, Potter. I suggest you forget about it."

They began walking again. James kept a step ahead of Lily, the light from his wand illuminating their way around the castle.

James paused as they neared the entrance to the kitchens. "Let's stop in for a bit."

Lily rolled her eyes. "We don't have time, Potter. We need to keep moving."

"Actually, Evans, we still have almost an hour. Just one drink, that's all I ask. And maybe a muffin."

"Not tonight." Lily's voice was weak with a slight rasp. Her steps slowed as they continued their way through the castle.

As they ended their night and approached the Fat Lady, James put is hand on Lily's arm. "I know I've made things difficult between the two of us, but I want you to know that I'm willing to change things. I'm here when you need me."

Lily shook her head. "I don't think I'll be needing you, Potter."

"Lily."

Lily's heart quickened.

"Don't you think it's time we started using our first names?"

Lily pulled her arm from James's touch, her skin burning where his fingers touched her bare forearm. "I don't want the informality that comes from using first names with you, Potter. So please stop using mine." With that, Lily said the password and entered the common room.

James watched as she ran up the dormitory stairs, his breath caught as his heart gave a small lurch.

"James?"

James turned away from the stairs and saw Alice sitting by the fire, a piece of parchment and a quill by her side.

"I didn't see you," he said. "Writing to Frank?"

"Yeah. It's weird not having him here this year."

James nodded, his eyes drifted back to the stairs.

"Come, sit with me a bit."

"No, that's OK. I should really—"

"Please," said Alice as she patted the spot next to her on the sofa.

James sat and stared at the dying embers of the fire. "Does she really hate me? Am I really wasting my time?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

Alice glanced at the stairs. "I think it will work out for you."

James shook his head. "How?"

"Because for the past two days she's done nothing but talk about how insufferable you are and how much she's dreading working with you as Heads of School."

"This is supposed to help me how?" James turned towards Alice, his mouth forming a half smile.

"She was also lying as she said it." Alice smiled. "Dorcas is oblivious, but she usually is when it comes to things with deep meaning. But Marlene and I have talked about it. There's something there, don't give up yet." With that, Alice kissed James on the cheek and headed for the girls' dormitories.

"Hey Alice?"

Alice turned. "Yeah James?"

"Thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 3**

"What is this? Breakfast is being served in the Great Hall, and I'm sure more than a few of you still have finishing touches to add to your summer assignments before class." Lily stood at the bottom of the dorm stairs and watched as most of the younger years began to peal themselves away from the notice board in the Gryffindor common room. "That includes you, Meadows," Lily said to Dorcas' younger brother.

"But Lily, you have to read this."

"I don't want to buy a broomstick, and I have all my books, Meadows. Plus, I create the Hogsmede weekends; I don't need to read about them. What could I possibly need from that board?" Lily walked to the notice board. One piece of parchment covered all the other notices.

_Attention all fifth, sixth, and seventh year students: There will be an emergency meeting held in the Gryffindor common room tonight at 8PM. All must attend, no exceptions. Professor M. McGonagall. _

"Now that's strange, don't you think?"

Lily turned to face James Potter. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Not a clue, but we'll find out tonight." James turned to walk out of the common room.

"Hey Potter?" Lily called out.

James turned around.

"About last night."

James shook is head. "Don't worry about it. We'll talk tonight." With that, he left the common room to join his fellow Marauders for breakfast.

Alice walked up to Lily and read the notice. "What happened last night?"

Lily stared at the closing portrait. "It was nothing."

"It must have been something if you want to talk to James about it."

"Since when is he 'James'?" Lily asked.

Alice sighed and slipped her arm through Lily's, leading her towards the Great Hall. "I told you, he's friends with Frank. We hung out a lot this summer."

"And how is Frank?"

"Nice way to change the subject, Lily." Alice smiled. "He's good. He started his Auror training last month and plans to visit on the first Hogsmede weekend." She looked at Lily slyly. "It would be nice to get an advance notice of said weekend so he has plenty of time to make plans."

Lily laughed. "I promise, when we decide the first Hogsmede weekend, you'll be the first to know."

"That's all I ask."

The two girls walked into the Great Hall amid a buzz of nervous anticipation.

"What's going on?" Lily asked Dorcas and Marlene as she and Alice approached the table.

"Everyone's talking about the notice on the board. Apparently all fifth years and up have a meeting with their Heads of House tonight. Very suspicious," said Dorcas.

"Now we're waiting for the Daily Prophet," said Marlene, "I just hope it actually tells us something this time. The last time there was a death the Prophet barely mentioned it. It's like it's common news now, and we shouldn't have to be bothered with it."

Suddenly, with a loud swoosh, hundreds of owls descended into the Great Hall. Every student looked up and waited for the sight of a plain brown delivery owl with a paper in its beak.

"None of them have the Prophet," said Lily, looking quickly at each owl.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that, Alice. They're all personal owls. Letters and packages. None of the owls are carrying the Daily Prophet."

Students were now standing up, looking for more owls to fly into the room.

"This must be serious," said Marlene, "I've never heard of them censoring our mail before."

Lily looked at James sitting at the other end of the table; she remembered their brief conversation with Professor Dumbledore their first night. "We'll find out tonight. Let's start getting everyone to class."

James noticed Lily stand and usher first and second years out of the Great Hall and he began to do the same.

"Prongs, what are you doing?" asked Peter.

James looked down at the shorter boy. "Putting on a face of normalcy for a few moments. Our lives are about to change in a few hours, the least we can do is pretend that everything is the same right now."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Please, please, be seated everyone." Professor McGonagall stood in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. "I see you Mister Peakes trying to hide behind the end table, and as you are a fourth year, you are not invited to this meeting. Please join the rest of your year on the stairs where they are eavesdropping." McGonagall continued to look around the room. "It seems as though everyone is present, so let's begin.

"As you all know, the Daily Prophet was not delivered this morning. It contained an article that the professors wished to announce personally." McGonagall paused and looked the students surrounding her. "It saddens me to say that blood purity is becoming an increasing issue within the Ministry of Magic as Voldemort gains more power both inside and outside its realm. I'm sure you're all well aware of some of the new laws regarding the wizarding world." She sighed before continuing. "There is one more to add to the list."

The students looked at each other, the fear of expulsion from Hogwarts or the wizarding world evident on the faces of Muggle Borns as well as Half Bloods. Yet they also sighed in relief. Surely McGonagall would begin with more serious matters like deaths and Dark Mark sightings rather than a new law. As long as people still lived, things were all right.

"To keep the wizarding world growing in a limited yet blood pure capacity, according to this new law young witches and wizards must marry another witch or wizard by their eighteenth birthday. For those witches and wizards who have already surpassed that mark, you have until the end of the current year. By January 1, all eighteen year olds and above must be married, or risk the consequences." McGonagall's lips formed a thin line as her eyes glanced over each student.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Meadows."

"What are the consequences?" Dorcas had to raise her voice to be heard over the mummers of the other students.

"Unfortunately, the ministry has not clearly defined its terms. Professor Dumbledore has been hard at work trying to prevent this new law until more definitive ideas have been in place. Sadly, his voice has been ignored by the ministry and we must now face the new system."

"So does this mean we don't have to follow this new law if there are no labeled consequences for breaking it?"

"Miss Evans, as a Muggle Born, I highly suggest you follow this new law. I fear it will be most dangerous for Muggle Borns and wizards of mixed heritage to deny any of the new ministry regulations."

The students fell silent at this. Some looked at their friends, others fixated their gazes on various points around the room. Lily stared into the fire, its flames comforting as the implications of the new law sunk in.

Professor McGonagall looked at Marlene before she spoke again. "Miss Stone, according to our records, you are the first Gryffindor to reach this milestone."

"Yes, Professor. In two weeks time," replied Marlene.

"Like I said, you have until the end of the year to make your decision. But I highly recommend marriage for everyone. Mister Black?"

"Oh, um, yes?" Sirius glanced at Remus who sat next to him, then returned his focus back to McGonagall.

"Your birthday is also before the end of the year, correct?"

"Yes, November."

"Very well. Those are the only two Gryffindor birthdays immediately affected by the new law. Though many of the seventh years will turn eighteen before the school year ends." Professor McGonagall took a deep breath before conjuring a chair for herself. "There is more, I'm afraid."

"Surely, Professor," said James, "the ministry can't expect more than that from us."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat in an attempt to quiet the sudden uproar of whispered comments before continuing. "They do, Mister Potter. Every married couple must consummate their marriage within three months time. And a child must be produced by the end of the third year of marriage."

"They're forcing us to have children?" Dorcas asked; her face contorted at the idea of raising another human being.

"Yes, Miss Meadows, they are. It is my recommendation, however, that you wait as long as possible before conceiving. You are young; finish school, live a bit before you're forced to be tied to family. If things change, whether for better or worse, within the three years of your marriage, you may be allowed to wait even longer."

"So that means we can use prevention methods, either charms or potions, before we absolutely have to settle down?" asked Kevin Davis, a popular sixth year prefect.

"So far, Mister Davis, the ministry has not denied the use of prevention methods. But be warned, they can change their minds at any time. For fifth and sixth years who have a few years before the law directly affects them, I suggest you take your time. Choosing a life partner is a tough decision, and should not be done lightly. And those reaching their deadlines, be warned. There are many single witches and wizards looking for someone to fulfill the law with. Many of those are still single for a reason. Choose wisely. I am always available for counseling if you should need it."

The silence was deafening as the students contemplated the effect the new law would have on their lives. Lily sat on the floor picking at the worn rug. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Mister Lupin?"

"Why did the ministry set the age at eighteen when the legal wizarding age is seventeen?"

McGonagall smiled. "That, Mister Lupin, is about the only thing the ministry did listen to Professor Dumbledore about. Most seventeen year olds are still in school, and though they can legally use magic outside of school, seventeen is a precarious year. It is full of changes and decisions. Professor Dumbledore wished to delay the marriage age and its important decision for as long as possible."

"What about magical bindings, Professor? Are we forced to be bound to another person, or only marry them?"

"Bindings are rare in these times, Mister Potter. They carry many consequences, and are extremely dangerous for the magical community when performed on young adults. The ministry recognizes this and has not forced marriages to be magically binding."

"Professor," Alice's voice rang out, "what if we chose to marry someone no longer at Hogwarts? Will we be able to stay in school? How will we be able to fulfill the requirements?"

"Hogwarts castle is a fascinating place. It will provide the accommodations needed for its students. Only time will tell what it deems those accommodations will be."

"And if we marry outside of Gryffindor?" a sixth year girl asked.

"I trust the answer is the same. I've no doubt we will find the answer before the New Year begins.

"Now, I believe that will be all for tonight. If you have any more questions, I will be available in my office. Go to bed. Sleep on it. Perhaps it won't seem as grim in the morning." With that, Professor McGonagall left the common room, her chair disappearing as she walked through the portrait hole.

Students slowly worked their way up the stairs to the dormitories. Soon, only the seventh year students remained in the common room.

"What happens now?" asked Dorcas.

"I have to find a husband," said Marlene.

"You're not actually going to do it, are you?"

"Dorcas, I don't have a choice." Marlene's face began to redden. "I turn eighteen in two weeks. And unlike you, I'm not a Pure Blood. I like the magical world, and I want to stay and fight for it. And if that means I have to marry before the end of the year, then so be it. I will marry, and then I will fight so my children don't have to go through this bullshit." She ran up the dormitory stairs with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"And I suppose you and Frank will make a perfect family?" Dorcas asked Alice.

Alice stood. "It's only speeding up what will happen eventually. I don't see the reason to fight it." She followed Marlene up the stairs; her footsteps light as she ascended to their dorm.

"So no one's going to fight it?"

"Dorcas, I don't see how we can," said Remus. "People are forced into Azkaban every day by breaking the new laws. It's not as bad as some of the other new laws; at least it's not worth going to Azkaban over."

"Not worth going to Azkaban over?" shouted Sirius. "And who exactly do you plan on marrying?" Sirius turned and ran out the portrait hole.

Remus bit his lower lip until drops of blood trickled down his throat, a habit that started after his encounter with Fenrir Greyback. "He's right. Who will I marry? And yet I know I'm right too." Remus got up and went to catch up with Sirius.

"And you, Lily, are you going to marry? You have until January."

Lily looked up and a tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

"That's enough, Dorcas," said James. "Go up to bed. Sleep on it. We don't need to make our decisions tonight."

"It seems most of us already have." With that, Dorcas let all of Gryffindor know she was heading up the stairs as her footsteps echoed throughout the tower.

"I think I'll head up as well. Maybe McGonagall was right, it might seem better in the morning," said Peter as he shuffled up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Wormtail," James said to Peter as he watched the smaller boy's frame leave the common room.

Lily watched their interaction, her eyes wide with fear. She sat with her arms wrapped around her tiny frame. Tears freely flowing now, causing her shoulders to shake.

James moved so he could sit next to her. He placed an arm around her shoulders. "It's not all that bad."

"Yes, it is, James."

James' heart leapt for a moment. "You can't let it be bad, Lily. If you do, then they've won without you even having to fight."

Lily turned her body towards James. Her head rested against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his torso. "Even if we fight, they've still won. They exerted their control over our lives and forced us to marry because of bloodlines instead of love. How is that worth fighting for?"

"I didn't know you were a romantic," James said, a small smile floated across his mouth. "We'd be fighting for love—the right to love freely."

"But if you don't love the one person you're tied to while you're fighting, why fight for love?"

"Lily, you have to trust that you will grow to love the person you're with." James wiped Lily's face with the edge of his shirtsleeve. His gaze held hers. "It might be easier if one person of the married couple loved the other. Then at least love would be there."

Lily took a deep breath and began to disentangle herself from James' arms. "We need to start our patrol, James."

"Right, our patrol." James stood and then helped Lily to her feet.

The two walked silently throughout the castle. They saw Remus and Sirius talking in an empty classroom, but James held Lily back, claiming, "They need to work things out without our interruption. The next time we see them after curfew we'll take away double the amount of points." Lily nodded, too tired to argue.

As they walked through the Charms corridor, Lily stopped and stared at a painting of a beautiful witch on her wedding day. The witch looked part veela, her long blond hair flowing with the wind. She wore white dress robes inlaid with gold flowers around the bottom of the gown as well as the edges of the sleeves. She was smiling, and kept glancing at the man in the distance, presumably her husband.

"This is why I always loved coming to Charms," Lily said.

James looked at the portrait. "And here I thought it was because of your natural talent."

Lily blushed.

"She's beautiful. But most veelas appear that way."

"She's happy on her wedding day, that's what makes her beautiful."

"You'll be happy on yours, Lily." James stood behind Lily, his hand hovering above her shoulder, wanting to comfort yet afraid of her reaction.

Lily moved away from the painting and walked into the classroom. "Have you ever been to a wizarding wedding?" she asked.

James looked at his hand now hovering in the air before dropping it to his side. "A few. Most when I was younger, though."

"Are they anything like muggle weddings?" Lily took out her wand and began mindlessly levitating the feathers set out for the next day.

James laughed. "How am I supposed to know that?"

Lily dropped the feather and looked at James, her eyebrows knitted together before the obvious dawned on her. "Sorry, I thought you might have one muggle relative somewhere in your family."

They walked out of the Charms classroom and continued their patrol of the castle. "I have a distant cousin who's a squib and lives as a muggle, but he hasn't married," said James.

"Will you tell me about them?" Lily asked.

"My cousin? From what I remember he's kind of short, balding, a horrid joke teller."

Lily laughed. "No, not your cousin. Tell me about wizarding weddings."

"Ah, I've been to three that I can remember. The first was my cousin John. I was the ring bearer."

"You must have been really young."

James smiled. They glanced in the trophy room as they walked by it before he continued. "I was only four years old. My parents were afraid I would discover my first magic during the celebration because of all the excitement."

"I thought first magics didn't happen until a little later than four."

"Usually. But my family happens to be early bloomers. Anyway, it was a lavish ceremony. My mother must have cleaned cake and dirt off me hundreds of times that night; I just couldn't stay clean. But I remember the flowers best. They were all white with ladybugs charmed to fly in formations around them. They would make hearts and stars and spell out words like 'love' in different languages. The first magical prank I ever played involved charmed insects, and it was all thanks to cousin John."

"Is that all you remember, the cake and the flowers?" Lily's face fell. She carelessly opened the next classroom door and peaked inside before continuing down the corridor.

"I was only four. I was about eight when my uncle got married. Well, remarried actually. His first wife had died some time before that. His was a small ceremony. Only close family and friends were invited. It was the second marriage for his new wife as well. There was no ring bearer this time. Just a ministry official to preside over the ceremony and a witness for both of them. It went quick. One minute I was standing in a small room with thirty other people, then was I eating pastries off a floating serving tray."

"Again, you remember food." Lily sighed. "You're no help. How am I supposed to know what to expect when you can't remember anything useful?"

James smiled. "My neighbor got married two summers ago."

"I trust this you remember?" Lily asked.

"Not really. Sirius went with us."

Lily shook her head and began walking up the next set of stairs.

"They did have a binding though, and that I remember."

"You mentioned that during the meeting. What is it?"

James frowned. "It's a bit complicated. It's deep, old magic. Not very common anymore as it has a great number of dangers attached to it for younger couples."

"I gathered that much from Professor McGonagall. But what is it?"

James scratched his head. "It's a way for two people to combine their magic."

"Like conjoined magic. We'll be studying that later this year."

"Yes and no," said James. "It's more complicated than that. With conjoined magic, any two people can use their powers to enhance a charm or hex or whatever. With a binding, your power flows inside the other person. That what makes it so dangerous. One fight and things get disjointed."

It was getting close to one o'clock and they began to make their way back to the Gryffindor tower. "Can one fight really cause that much harm?" Lily asked.

James smiled. "If I know you, you're going to lock yourself in the library tomorrow and research this yourself."

"Of course. But I'd like to go in with an idea of what to expect, and you're making that difficult."

"At the wedding, when the charms were spoke, this surge of energy seemed to come from no where and poured its way through the crowd. My dad said that Samantha, my neighbor, and her husband felt it much stronger than we did. My parents are bound together, so he knows what they went through. He says it's like the magic from everyone in the room flows through you until you can taste it. Then, you feel your partner and they feel you. Like their magic is bursting inside of you as you join. I can't imagine living through that moment; it seemed so surreal." James shrugged his shoulders. "But bindings don't always take. Sometimes the wizard performing the charm isn't strong enough, or the connection between the couple is too weak for the charm to be effective."

They climbed the last set of stairs leading to the Fat Lady.

"That's why most people don't magically bind themselves anymore. It's deadly embarrassing if it doesn't take and it's your fault. They stopped routine bindings in my family after my parents married, and that was over sixty years ago. Sirius' family stopped well before mine. You can force people to marry, but you can't force their magic to work well together."

"They've forced marriages before?" Lily asked. The closer they got to Gryffindor tower the quieter she became.

"Well, it hasn't been a law until now. But many of the older families believed in blood purity well before Voldemort. Sirius is pretty sure he had an arranged marriage."

"Had? He doesn't anymore?"

"No, he betrayed his family. A Syltherin can't marry a Gryffindor. It would mean the world was coming to an end."

Lily was shocked. "But what happens after your bound to each other?"

"My dad says you're always aware of the other person's presence, or lack there of. You know what magic they're performing because it flows through you as they do it. It's deadly scary, yet intriguing. I'd like to be bound, but you need the perfect person, otherwise it will never work like it should."

They saw the portrait of the Fat Lady coming closer. "James?"

"Yes. Lily?"

Lily stared at him. Her hand reached up and her fingers traced the side of his face. She shook her head. "Never mind." With that, Lily walked into the common room, leaving James behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 4**

Breakfast the next morning was a subdued affair. The younger students had heard about the new law and quietly watched as the older years gathered in small groups. Rumors of possible matches floated between the tables, the favorite being the Head Boy and Head Girl. The older students sat hunched over, speaking in whispers, sneaking glances at students from other Houses.

"What do you think about Black?" a fifth year Hufflepuff asked her friends.

"Which one?"

"Either one." The girls laughed.

"I don't think I'd mind for a month, or even a year. But I don't think I'd like to be tied to that family forever."

Dorcas rolled her eyes as she passed by the Hufflepuff girls. "They are too young to be thinking of either of the Blacks as possible husbands," she said as she sat down next to Marlene.

"This is our life now, Dorcas. They have to start planning now, or all the good ones will be gone."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Alice asked Marlene.

Marlene shook her head. "No, I can't even think straight right now, my mind is a mess. I'm just hoping we don't have to do any complex magic today. I don't think I'll be able to handle it."

Alice looked at Lily sitting next to her. "How about you, Lily? You only have until the end of January."

"I just wish this would all go away," Lily said as she picked apart the toast on her plate.

"Good morning, ladies," said James as he, Sirius, Remus, and Peter joined the other Gryffindor seventh years.

"Good morning, James," said Alice. She glanced at Lily and leaned close to James, speaking extra low so no one else could hear. "How did your patrol go last night?"

James began to pile food onto his plate. "It was strange," he said, "how is she?" he asked, nodding in Lily's direction.

"Something's off, but she won't say what. She wouldn't say a word after you returned last night, and she's been sullen all morning."

James eyebrows knit together as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "She was full of questions, mainly about wizarding weddings. But I didn't think I said anything to upset her."

Alice shrugged. "You know her. She's probably just anxious to research everything during her break today. But do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Keep your eye out for her. Something's wrong, I know it, and we just need to wait it out."

James nodded his head and began to pick at the sausages in front of him. "Have you heard from Frank yet?" he asked, his voice louder now in an attempt to draw in conversation from everyone else.

Sirius smiled across from James. "Oh, yes. I do hope we'll be invited. I heard Mrs. Longbottom has big plans for her youngest son's wedding day."

Alice's eyes grew as Sirius spoke. "What do you mean 'big plans'? Frank hasn't even asked yet. The post hasn't arrived. I was hoping for a small ceremony, nothing fancy." She let out a whimper as she stared wide-eyed at Sirius.

Sirius winked at Remus. "I thought she said something about her wedding dress robes that one time, Moony, do you remember?"

"I do, Padfoot. In fact, I think it had something to do with her future daughter-in-law wearing them," said Remus.

"Is that the big puffy thing she's wearing in the picture on their floo mantle, with the stuffed doves on the hat?" asked Peter.

"I believe it is, Wormtail," said James.

"Oh no," cried Alice.

Laughter rang out between the four boys, Marlene, and Dorcas. "Don't worry, Alice," said James, "I'm sure everything will be just fine."

With a light tweet, a few owls flew into the Great Hall. "Here they come," said Sirius. Owls continued to trickle into the room until hundreds circled the ceiling looking for their proper owners. "Oi, James, there's your parents' owl."

A small grey hunting owl dropped in front of James and held out its leg.

"What do they've got to say?" asked Sirius.

James skimmed the letter. "It says I'm to take my time and choose wisely. They're always available for advice. Oh, Sirius, they say good luck finding someone. They await your wedding invitation." James smiled as a piece of toast flew past his right ear. "No, look." James showed Sirius the letter.

"You're a right prat, Prongs, you know that?" Sirius looked over Remus' shoulder. "What've yours got to say?"

Remus sighed. "Not now, Padfoot." He closed the letter and slipped it in his pocket.

"Alice, is that what I think it is?" asked James.

Everyone looked at Alice in expectation.

"No, it is not, James Potter."

"What do you mean?" James' face fell. "I thought for sure he'd ask you."

A grin broke across Alice's face. "He's asking Dumbledore for permission to come visit tomorrow, as it's Saturday."

"Nice," said Sirius. "Hey, Stone, who's is that?" Sirius pointed to the unfamiliar owl standing in front of Marlene.

"I don't know." Marlene reached out and untied the parchment from its leg. She shook her head as she read the letter.

"Marlene, what is it?" asked Dorcas.

"A marriage proposal."

"What?" shouted Alice, drawing attention from a group of fourth years sitting next to them.

"He says he's forty-three years old. A member of the High Divination Society, and he saw in a crystal ball that we'd make a beautiful child together."

Dorcas grabbed the letter from Marlene. "He also lives with his mother and is setting up private quarters for the two of you in their attic."

Remus leaned across the table to read off the paper. "He's been practicing dueling with garden gnomes and is ready to fight You-Know-Who personally."

Sirius laughed. "This is too much."

A new owl dropped in front of Lily. She glanced at the owl before continuing to move the food around her plate with a fork.

Alice looked over at her. "Um, Lily? I think it's for you," she said. She spoke in a soothing tone, afraid of further upsetting her friend.

The rest of the seventh years stared between Lily and the owl. Another owl stopped in front of James. "Not now," he said.

"Another proposal?" asked Dorcas.

James ripped open the letter. "She's single, thirty-five, and likes to live as a muggle. Great, maybe I can set her up with my cousin." James tossed the parchment to the side where Peter lifted it and began reading it further.

"She says she likes cheese and Elvis Presley. And she's enclosed a picture."

"Let me see that." Sirius grabbed the picture from Peter's hand. "She's not bad looking. But look, she can't even take a wizarding photo. It's not moving."

"Yes it is," said Marlene from over Sirius' shoulder, "look at the trees in the background—they're moving. She's not."

"That is one creepy chick," said Sirius.

James continued to look at Lily. "Hey Lily," he said, "I think that owl would like you to take the letter off its leg. He's been standing on one foot for a while now."

Lily sighed as she put her fork down. She looked at James and then the owl.

"Here, why don't I take the letter off for you?" James reached over, untied the parchment from the owl's leg and placed it in front of Lily.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," said Dorcas as three owls landed in front of Sirius. Sirius, Remus, and Marlene each took a letter.

"This one's already been in and out of Azkaban three times in the past five years, Sirius. She seems quite the catch," said Marlene.

Sirius glanced up from his letter. "What'd she do?"

"Petty theft, forged documents, and it looks like she pissed off your mother at one time."

"Really, I might hold on to that one." Sirius took the letter from Marlene's hand and put it in his pocket. "This one's a right bore. Lives with her brother and his wife, works for the ministry, trying to find an upstanding citizen to spend her life with. Blah, blah, blah. What about that one, Moony?"

"Quite a good catch, actually. Just turned eighteen, Quidditch fan, remembers you from two years ago. It seems you had an interesting 'conversation' in a broom closet."

Sirius leaned over to read the letter. "I remember her."

Remus looked at Sirius. "Was she pretty?"

Sirius gave Remus a cocky grin. "Not as pretty as you, darling."

Remus slapped the letter to Sirius chest before looking at Lily. "Lily, you really need to open that letter. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away."

Alice began to rub Lily's shoulder. "Lils, we're in this together. Just open it so we can make fun of whoever it is."

Lily looked round at the seventh years facing her. All held similar looks of concern and anxiousness. She nodded and reached for the letter.

The rest of the group held their breath as Lily's eyes read down the page.

Suddenly, Lily gave a cry and dropped the parchment in the middle of the table. She grabbed her books and ran from the Great Hall.

"Lily," cried James as he gathered his belongings and ran after her.

Alice picked up the paper and read it aloud: "Miss Lily Evans, I am sure you have heard of the wonderful new law the Ministry of Magic has put into place recently. It is with greatest pleasure that I ask you to join me in marriage. I believe my pure blood status would help tremendously against any harm the Dark Lord would wish against you or your family. Remember, Mudbloods need the most looking after. I look forward to your reply. Lucius Malfoy."

"That son of a bitch," said Sirius. "I know for a fact he's promised to my cousin. I bet he sent it to rile her up."

Remus took the letter and burnt it with the tip of his wand.

Another owl landed in front of Dorcas. "No, no, no. Not another one. We all decline, so stop trying." The bird patiently stood on its left leg with its right jutting out. "Shoo," said Dorcas, trying to wave the bird away. "I don't care how big his chocolate frog card collection is; we don't want anymore of this. Just go." The owl stayed where it was. "Fine. If you won't leave, we will. Let's go." With that, the seventh years gathered their things and began walking out of the Great Hall.

They noticed the seventh years in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff laughing at letters as they passed. "It seems everyone's in the same boat," said Marlene.

"Hey Marlene."

Marlene turned to look at the new voice joining their walk out of the Great Hall. "Oh, hi Dennis."

Dennis McKinnon slowly began to walk in step with Marlene. "I was wondering, if you didn't have too much homework, if you'd like to hang out tomorrow. I know we can't go to Hogsmede, and I have Quidditch trials in the afternoon, but maybe for a walk around the grounds in the morning?"

"That sounds great, Dennis," Marlene replied. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Dennis smiled. "Great, so I'll meet you at the entrance at ten?"

"Sure."

"Great." Dennis sprinted ahead of Marlene to join his fellow Ravenclaws on their way to class, turning his head a few times to smile at Marlene.

"Go Marlene," said Alice nudging Marlene with her shoulder. "It looks like you have a prospective husband after all."

Marlene jokingly pushed Alice away. "It's just a few hours of hanging out."

"Not a bad choice, though," said Remus. "Dennis is a really great guy."

"Really?" said Marlene. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Yeah Moony, what can you tell me about him?" joked Sirius.

Remus pushed Sirius out of the Great Hall laughing.

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Has she said anything to you all day?" James asked Alice. They were standing at the entrance to the Great Hall before dinner. The other seventh years were already sitting together, waiting for the food to appear.

Alice shook her head. "Very little. And she didn't volunteer any answers in any class today."

"I know. She wouldn't talk to me in Potions or Charms. And we had to brew the Shrinking Solution. She let me take the lead, and she never does that with anyone."

"We need this to stop. I understand she's always wanted to marry for love, but things change."

James stopped looking at Lily and turned toward Alice. "So she doesn't love me?"

Alice sighed and placed her hand on James' arm. "I think she's been in love with you for years, James. But she doesn't think so. You need to show her that she does care for you as much as you care for her."

James nodded. "Maybe on our patrol tonight I'll get her to talk."

"Good luck," said Alice. The two walked towards the Gryffindor table. "Any more marriage proposals, Sirius?"

Sirius smiled up at Alice. "Four actually."

"What?" asked Remus, "Who?"

"A sixth and a seventh year Ravenclaw, a seventh year Hufflepuff, and a fifth year Syltherin who said she didn't care if I was removed from the family tapestry, she believes my Black heritage will make her mother happy."

"What did you tell her?" asked Peter.

Sirius shrugged. "I said I was flattered but I'd never marry a Syltherin."

"What about the other girls?" asked Dorcas.

"Who said they were all girls?" Sirius cocked his head and wiggled his eyebrows.

The rest of the table laughed, except for Lily and Remus.

"I think I'll go to the library," said Remus, "I need to get started on the Defense Against the Dark Arts essay we have."

"But we haven't eaten yet," said Peter.

Remus looked down at the empty plate in front of him. "I'll grab something from the kitchens on my way back to the common room."

Sirius watched him leave the table. "He's been in a right foul mood since that letter from his parents this morning."

"What'd they say?" asked Dorcas.

Sirius shook his head. "He still won't tell me. But I'll find the letter later. Maybe then I'll know how to deal with him."

Slowly, platters of food began appearing on the tables. James watched Lily as she put a few spoonfuls of food on her plate and began to move it around with her fork. "Lily, you should actually eat some of it. It's quite good."

Lily looked at James. She had tears in her eyes.

"Lily?"

Lily felt the pixies again in her stomach. They made a nest in there and got restless every time James said her name. She stood up and ran from the Great Hall.

James made to run after her, but Alice held him to his seat. "Did running after her this morning do any good?"

James shook his head.

"I don't think it will help now, either. Let her be. You'll work it out later."

After dinner James wandered the castle looking for Lily. Finally, at five of seven he gave up and made his way to Dumbledore's office. As he said the password and traveled up the spiral staircase he wondered what excuse he could make for her to Dumbledore. James knocked on the door.

"Come in."

As James opened the door he saw Lily sitting across from Dumbledore with a cup of tea in her hands, a small smile on her tear streaked face.

"Please, be seated James," said Professor Dumbledore. "Lily and I were just finishing our chat about the new law. I'm afraid this will be a trying year for everyone."

James nodded his head. "Yes, it seems so."

Dumbledore began walking around his office, putting some gadgets in motion while stopping others. "Let's begin, shall we? Have there been any problems this week? Any incidents you think I should be aware of?"

Lily and James shook their heads.

"No? Well, that's a first. For the past six years I've been informed of a problem with the same four boys within the first week. I wonder what could have changed that?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as they watched James squirm in his seat. "I hear they can be menaces, so be warned. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of any of their more nastier pranks."

James looked as his feet. "I don't think they'll cause any problems this year, Professor."

"Oh, I'd never call them a problem, James. In fact, I thought they were rather entertaining. I'd hate to see all the excitement end this year. It seems we need it now more than ever."

James looked up and saw Dumbledore smiling at him.

"Now, what shall we do for fun this year? I believe we need a change of atmosphere after the new law announcement. Everything's too dreary for my liking."

James looked at Lily before speaking. "I was thinking of an informal get together, like a party if you will, for the seventh years."

Dumbledore stroked his beard as he walked toward his red plumed phoenix. "Would this be just for the Gryffindor seventh years?"

"No, sir. I think it would be a good idea if the seventh years from every house got to spend some time with each other. I don't think it's fair to expect us to marry within our own houses, and if the marriage proposals that came this morning for the other houses were anything like ours, we're going to need to interact with each other on a more causal basis, and quickly. Before someone makes a wrong decision."

"I think that is a wonderful idea, James. How about next Friday?"

"The sooner, the better, I think."

"Yes. I'll make arrangements and have something posted in each common room by the end of the weekend. But why don't we extend it to sixth years as well, I don't think it would be right to limit our choices too much." Dumbledore began stroking the phoenix's feathers. "I trust you and Miss Evans will take care of the decorations and speak with the house elves about food?"

"Yes, sir. I'll take care of it."

"Good. And the first Hogsmede weekend?"

James looked at Lily again, waiting for her to speak up. "Again, I was thinking soon, sir. No more than two weeks away. I know there are students looking outside of Hogwarts for spouses, and I think they should meet before the decision is final."

"Yes, let's say two weeks from tomorrow, then. A bit earlier than normal, but very much needed this year." Dumbledore turned to face them. "Is there anything else you can think of?"

James shook his head.

"Very well, then. I think I'll excuse you from next week's meeting so you can enjoy the gathering. We will meet again in two weeks."

James stood to leave the office. "Good night, sir."

"I do hope it is, James. And Lily? Remember what we've talked about. Everything's not as bad as it seems."

Lily nodded and joined James by the door. "Good night, Professor," she whispered.

The two made their way down the stairs in silence. As they walked toward the Gryffindor common room James kept stealing glances at Lily from the corner of his eye. "Is everything OK?" he finally asked.

Lily nodded her head and quickened her pace.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know. We still have to patrol together."

Lily continued walking until the reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Nifflers," she said, and walked into the common room, leaving James behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 5**

"Has she spoken to you yet?" Remus asked James. The four Marauders were walking around the Quidditch pitch late Sunday afternoon.

"No. During our patrol Friday night I thought I'd give her space, so I kept quiet. But I couldn't do that again last night. I talked non stop for two hours waiting for her to make a comment." James stuffed his hands in his pocket and shook his head. "There was no response."

Remus patted his friend on the back. "Don't take it too personally, I hear she hasn't spoken to anyone yet."

"Yeah," said Peter, "And Alice looks like she's about to burst with news."

"Frank must have proposed," said James.

"We knew he would," said Sirius. "Why wouldn't Alice have said something by now?"

Remus shook his head. "Lily is her best friend. It's only obvious that she'll want to tell her best friend first, and as Lily's not talking, it makes it a bit difficult to talk to her."

"I have an idea," said Sirius. He bounced as he walked, his grin visible through the strands of hair floating across his face.

James looked at his friend and shook his head. "I know that look, Padfoot, and the answer is no. No pranks."

Sirius' eyes drooped. "But you said Dumbledore missed us."

"Well, yeah," said James.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. I have just the plan in mind. It's simple. It would only require a little help from the house elves, a bit of charm work, the password to the Syltherin common room, and a couple hundred cockroach clusters." Sirius walked backward, bobbing in front of the other three.

"How are we going to get a couple hundred cockroach clusters?" asked Peter.

"I know," said Sirius, "I was having difficulty with that part as well, but we'll figure it out."

James sighed and shook his head.

"I think what Prongs meant to say," said Remus, "Was that even though Dumbledore may miss our adventured spirits, Lily does not."

"That's a load of bullocks, and you know it, Moony," said Sirius. "Besides, after we're through, Lily will have to speak to James, she'll be too mad not to."

James sighed. "If we go through with this, we'll have to make some changes."

Sirius jumped up and punched his fist in the air. "We could add some chocolate frogs, but I'd hate to waste the good stuff on Syltherins. But some Filibusters should do nicely."

"Sirius, we need to stop tormenting Syltherins," said James.

"But why? It's so much fun."

"I'm Head Boy, and I need to show a good example to the school. Playing pranks, especially evil-spirited ones, on just one house isn't going to open inter-house communication."

Remus shook his head. "I can't believe you're going through with this."

"But Moony, my plans are foolproof," said Sirius.

"You did set a house elf on fire before," said Peter.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "OK, so my plans are almost foolproof." He pointed at Peter. "And that time didn't count. Pepper accidentally got in the way of my wand."

"It didn't help that you told him to go there," said Remus.

"That's besides the point."

"So what was the plan again, Sirius?" asked James as the four boys began their return to the castle.

**LJLJLJLJ**

As the Marauders entered the Gryffindor common room, the four seventh year girls were laughing and screaming while jumping up and down in a circle as they tried to hug each other without falling over. Suddenly, Marlene's foot got caught under Dorcas' leg and the two girls went down, taking Lily and Alice with them.

"Oh, guys," Alice cried to James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter as she scrambled to get up. "It's the best news ever." She untangled herself from the other three girls and made her way to the boys. "It's official. Frank and I are going to be married."

"Congratulations, Alice," said Remus.

"Finally," said Sirius.

"That's fantastic news," said James as he leaned down and kissed Alice on the cheek.

Lily watched Alice with the four boys and turned red when James kissed Alice.

"When's the wedding?" asked Peter.

"October 17. It's going to be small. And you are all prats, by the way, for having me convinced I would be wearing his mother's hideous dress robes." Alice smiled as she hit Sirius. "Lily's going to be my maid-of-honor, and Frank's brother will be the best man."

"That's great, Alice." Remus bit his lip. "Have you talked about how you'll be living together?"

"Professor Dumbledore set it all up. Frank can't apparate into Hogsmede everyday because of Auror training, but he can stay on his days off."

"Where will he stay?" asked James.

"Frank said Dumbledore wasn't too clear on the details during their meeting, but something should work out by then."

Lily continued to watch from her spot on the floor. Marlene and Dorcas had since moved to the sofa in front of the fireplace to discuss Alice's wedding plans. Sirius and Peter left the group and headed up to the boys' dormitories.

Remus nodded his head towards Lily. "I think I'll leave you two for the moment," he said to James and Alice. He walked across the common room and sat next to Lily.

Lily glanced at Remus sitting next to her before returning her attention to James and Alice.

"Jealous?" asked Remus.

Lily continued to stare at the two sharing an animated conversation. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Your best friend is getting married, to a man she dearly loves and who loves her. A man who is kind, understanding, brave, and strong-willed. And right now, she's telling all of this to a man who many think is your soul mate."

"James is not my soul mate," Lily said. Her voice was soft, with a hint of a rasp.

Remus nodded. "I hear you're to be the maid-of-honor."

Lily nodded.

"You don't seem too happy about it."

Lily began to pick at the carpet. "I've read everything in the library about wizarding weddings. From how to plan the perfect wedding to trashy romance novels. And I still don't know what to expect."

"The law isn't changing how things are done. And wizarding weddings are very similar to muggle weddings. There's an official who leads the ceremony, a bride and a groom, and a witness for both."

"I understand all that." Lily looked at James and Alice laughing.

Remus followed Lily's gaze. "She's not your competition, Lily. Be happy for her."

Lily nodded. "I am happy for her. Frank is a great guy. And it will be good to see him on a regular basis."

"Then why the long face?"

Lily shook her head. "I can't right now."

"I understand." Remus could feel the parchment of his parents' letter in his pocket. "I'll be here when you're ready."

Lily smiled at Remus. "Thank you. Hopefully by then, you'll be ready as well."

"So you noticed that?"

Lily nodded. "Sirius seems especially upset that you won't say anything to him."

"I can't, yet. The full moon is too close, and I get too emotional around then. Maybe after."

"I understand."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Aaahhhhhh!!"

Lily jumped out of bed. "Who was that?"

Alice shook her head as she reached for her wand. "I think the better question is why are they screaming at six in the morning?"

The two girls ran out of their dorm and down the stairs toward the sixth year girls' room.

Lily knocked on the door. "Is everything ok in there?" she asked.

The door opened and three girls walked out. "We heard it, too. It's not us."

The five of them continued to the fifth year room.

As Lily was about to knock, another scream was heard.

"The third and forth year bathrooms," said Alice.

As they ran down the stairs to lower years, another scream was heard. "That's got to be one of the first or second years," said one of the sixth year girls.

Alice went to check on the first and second years as the rest of them ran into the third and fourth year showers and watched as insects made their way down the floor drains.

"Oh, that is so gross," said another sixth year as she made her way to the toilets.

There was only one girl in the shower, a fourth year named Rebecca. "I poured the shampoo into my hand, and it was fine. After I began to lather it into my hair, it turned into bugs." She was in tears as the last of the bugs slid from her hair and traveled down the drain.

Alice ran into the shower. "There's bugs in the shampoo," she said. "There's two girls down there, I don't know what to do."

Lily grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured some into her hand. She sniffed it, then waved her wand over it and watched as a green aura formed around her hand.

"JAMES POTTER!!"

James smiled from his seat on the stairs to the boys' dormitories. "The charm will wear off, right?"

"Of course," said Sirius. He was standing behind James, his head resting against Remus' shoulder. "Give it about an hour, and the bugs will be gone leaving the girls plenty of time to use their shampoo."

The screams continued as Peter walked out of their dorm room. "It started already?"

"Wormtail, it started twenty minutes ago."

"And no one woke me?"

James looked over his shoulder. "We tried, but you wouldn't budge."

Remus yawned. "I think I'm going to take a shower." He started toward the seventh year showers. "It only affects the girls' dorms, right Sirius?" he paused to ask.

"Of course. Why would I want to shower with bugs this early in the morning?"

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Good morning, boys," said Dorcas to the Marauders as she and Marlene approached the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

Sirius smiled as he looked up at the girls. "Hello, ladies. I trust you had a pleasant morning so far?"

"Oh, it was fantastic once Lily figured out what charm you used."

Remus hit Sirius in the back of the head. "Remember next time that your ideas are never foolproof."

"Do you think the other houses figured it out?" asked Peter.

"Other houses? You mean you did this to all the girls, not just Gryffindor?" Marlene asked as she and Dorcas sat across from the boys.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "It was James' idea."

James looked up as Lily approached the table with Alice.

"Your idea, Potter?" Lily asked as she slammed her books on the table.

"Well, not entirely," said James. He ruffled his hair, causing the wet pieces to stick up.

"But you're the one who said we shouldn't just target one house," said Peter.

James' head dropped to the table, and Remus and Sirius glared at Peter.

"You did this to all four houses?" Lily screamed.

Peter nodded his head. "Yeah. James said that we needed to stop being prejudice."

"So it was your idea," said Lily. "I should have known that you'd never be able to uphold this good behavior."

James lifted his head. "You noticed I've been trying to be good?"

"That is not the point, Potter." Lily's cheeks began turning pink. "You're Head Boy. You need to set an example, and pranking all of Hogwarts will not accomplish that."

"But Lily, we needed to—"

"And you, Black," said Lily, turning her attentions to Sirius as she interrupted his excuse, "need to grow up. You can't keep playing the immature, tortured soul who needs constant attention to thrive. You have to start thinking about your future, and these inane ideas will not help you there."

The noise in the Great Hall lowered as Lily's voice got louder. Students from other houses began to outwardly smile while the other Gryffindors covered their mouths with hands, books, and food.

"Now, Lily, don't you think you're being a bit unfair. It was just a simple prank, which you solved without our help," Remus tried to reason.

Lily's hair flew behind her as she turned to face the third Marauder. "If it was so simple, Remus, why did I have to rescue first and second years from cockroaches that wouldn't disappear?"

"I thought you said they would dissolve?" Remus whispered in Sirius' direction.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "They were supposed to."

"And what about the other Houses? What if no one was able to solve it there? Remus Lupin, how dare you let them go through with this."

Remus looked down as Lily rebuked him.

"Unfortunately, I have come to accept this behavior from Black, and I had hoped Potter would behave this year. And as for Peter, here," Lily sighed as she looked at Peter whose eyes were wide with fear, "well, he'll do whatever the other two do. But you, Remus, are my biggest disappointment. I thought you'd be above this childish act by now."

Lily sat and began to butter toast. The Great Hall burst into noise as the students laughed at the berated Gryffindors.

"Oh look, here's the mail," said Alice as owls began flying into the Great Hall.

Sirius' eyes got wide. "Oh, no."

Remus looked at Sirius. "You didn't."

James began scanning the owls flying above their heads. Slowly, owls perched in front of all the girls in every house. "He did."

"But I thought we weren't going to do it until later in the week?" asked Peter.

"We weren't," growled Remus.

"I thought it would be fun to have more than one surprise in one day," said Sirius.

"What do you mean 'more than one'?" asked James.

Four owls now stood in front of Lily, Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas. The four girls glared at the boys as they took their letters.

James shook his head. "Sirius, I think we need to run. Now."

The boys made to stand up.

Lily shot them a stare, her eyes pointedly telling them not to move.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," said Sirius as he sat back down.

Lily opened her letter first. Silver glitter flew out and landed in her hair. Suddenly, the letter began to sing.

_Oh, dear maidens, you make our hearts flutter. _

_Without you, our minds would be butter. _

_We'll be filled with glue_

_Until you say 'I do'. _

_So capture our lips and pull us out of the gutter. _

Remus looked at Sirius. "You let Wormtail write the poem?"

"He wanted to. But I thought it would turn out better than that."

Peter looked pleased, a huge smile across his face.

The other girls slowly began opening their letters, all receiving the same burst of glitter and song.

When Lily's letter repeated its song for the third time, refusing to stop with any of the charms she tried, she shoved the parchment in James' face. "Make it stop, now," she said through gritted teeth.

James looked over at Sirius.

"You see, here's the thing," said Sirius. He swallowed as Lily switched her glare from James to himself. "It will keep going for twenty-four hours. And you can't escape it, the letter will follow you wherever you go."

Lily stood up, gathered her things, and walked out of the Great Hall, the glitter that fell into her hair scattering behind her and the letter following, suspended in midair, singing as it tried to catch up with her.

"Um, we might have a problem," said Sirius.

"It can't get much worse than this; you really pissed her off," said Marlene.

"Actually, it can get worse," said Sirius.

"You didn't," said James.

Sirius shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"What?" asked Alice as she looked at the four boys.

Remus shook his head. "It appears that Sirius has taken all the pranks that were to be played on the girls over the next month and combined them into one day."

"Actually, I added some, so it'll go on for about two days."

"Two days," screamed Dorcas. "Are you possessed by some unnatural spirit that hinders your capacity to think?"

James looked at Sirius. "Can we stop any of them before they start?"

"Some, but not all."

"OK, we'll meet in the dorm after Potions and see how many of them we can stop or lessen before they happen. Peter, why don't you talk to the house elves and tell them our change in plans while we're in class. I just wanted Lily talking again, I didn't want her furious."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 6**

"Today, we will be starting with conjoined magic." Professor Flitwick stood in front of the N.E.W.T. level Charms students, bouncing slightly on his toes. "From the pile on my desk I trust everyone has done the assigned scroll on the theory of conjoined magic, and the best way to learn it is to experience it."

Sirius leaned over and whispered in Remus' ear. "Who do you think will lose their eyebrows this time?"

Remus stared at Flitwick as he slowly leaned toward Sirius. "Isn't it always Peter?"

Sirius smiled. "Yeah, but it's fun to guess."

"Now remember, class, both partners must be thinking of the same spell. Try to synchronize your wand movements, and enunciate clearly and together. Not everyone is compatible, so we will be trying a variety of couplings over the next couple of weeks. Now pair up, pair up everyone. And try to levitate the feathers using conjoined magic only."

Lily turned toward Alice. The two girls smiled and took out their wands.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. Not you four."

The two girls turned toward Professor Flitwick as he almost skipped toward the Marauders.

"Let's see; let's see." Flitwick looked around the room. The non-Gryffindors took care to quickly pair up and not look at the four boys. "Ah, yes. Please Miss Meadows with Mister Pettigrew, Miss Stone with Mister Black." Flitwick nodded his head. "Yes, yes. That leaves Miss Evans with Mister Potter and Mister Lupin with, yes, the future Misses Longbottom." Flitwick smiled and leaned towards Alice. "Congratulations my dear, the staff is very pleased with your upcoming nuptials."

Lily hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Thank you, sir," said Alice, "It's most kind of you."

Flitwick looked toward the other side of the room. "You are trying to levitate the feather, not set it aflame, Mister Rosier."

Alice sent Lily a smile as she switched places with Remus.

"So we're partners once again," said James as he slid into the chair Alice just left.

Lily nodded.

James pushed his glasses up his nose. "You know, most wizards will never find a compatible partner for conjoined magic. And even those who do often can't do all magic together. Either they work well together in magic like charms and defenses and they're rubbish at potions, or the other way around."

Lily nudged their feather with the tip of her wand. "It appears that you've actually done your homework, Potter."

James smiled. "Of course. In Charms I have to compete with this beautiful witch who's not only incredibly talented, but she also distracts me by taking my breath away."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm still mad at you. Showering me with compliments won't change that."

"I thought showering you with compliments would make up for showering you with insects."

Lily turned to face James. "I'm going to make this very clear, Potter. While your pranks may have turned into harmless fun in the past two days, the girls do not appreciate your torments. It does not make you or your friends more attractive. Your bad boy behavior does not endear us to your lack of sophistication, and the fact that you insist on annoying every girl in the school, not just the girls in your own house, or the girls in your own year, just makes you more of a prat. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my dear Lily," James said as he smiled at her.

Lily felt her stomach jump. "Let's get this over with, Potter."

James took out his wand and positioned it next to Lily's pointed at the feather. Completely in sync they moved their wands and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa_." Their feather slowly rose from the table. Lily and James looked at each other before returning their attentions to the feather. Together, they raised the feather further up before returning it to the table.

"I thought that rarely happens," said Lily. Her breath was short, like she'd been running.

James ran a hand through his hair. "I thought so, too." His breath also came out in quick spurts. The two looked around the room; all the other feathers remained firmly situated on the desks.

Alice and Remus looked at the pair. "Can you do it again?" asked Remus.

Lily and James repositioned their wands. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." The feather again rose from the table.

"Do you think you can make it twirl?" asked Alice as she stared at the feather.

Together, Lily and James circled the tips of their wands counterclockwise. The feather began to spin.

Suddenly, the feather stopped. Remus and Alice watched as both Lily and James moved their wands to the right, causing the feather to follow. They brought the feather back to center and placed it on the table.

"It's not just one of you doing it, is it?" asked Marlene as she, Sirius, Dorcas, and Peter joined the others.

"No," said James. "I can feel it inside me, like we're connected."

Lily nodded her head. "I feel it too."

"What's all this?" asked Professor Flitwick as he approached their table. "Please, show me your attempts."

Lily and James again raised the feather from the table, made it spin, and this time flew it across the room and back before returning it to the table.

"Marvelous," said Flitwick, his eyes wide with surprise. "Simply marvelous." He clapped his hands. "Let's try with something a bit heavier, shall we?" He placed a copy of _Magical Theory_ in front of the two and waved his hands. "Go on, go on."

Lily and James lifted the book from the table, opened it to page one hundred thirty four, and placed it back on the table.

Flitwick jumped up and down. "Fantastic. I've never seen it work this quickly before." He looked around the room as the bell rang, singling the end of class. "For next time, please write up three and a half feet about your first experiences with conjoined magic. I'm particularly interested in how your knowledge of the theory compares with your experiences." He turned back to Lily and James. "I'm especially looking forward to reading your essays."

Lily quickly gathered her books and ran out of the classroom.

Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas looked at the four boys before running after their friend. They caught up with Lily outside the Transfiguration classroom.

Alice grabbed Lily's arm and turned her to face the rest of them. "Lily, what was that all about?"

Lily shook her head. "It was too weird. I need to get to the library. I'm sorry. I'll meet you for lunch." With that, Lily continued to run toward the library.

The hallways began to thin as students entered their next class. Lily ran up the final flight of stairs and, turning the last corner, ran into a solid body and fell to the floor, scattering her books.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Obviously."

Lily looked up and stared at the hand reaching down to help her up. "I'm fine, thanks."

"I never asked if you were fine."

With a wave of her wand, Lily gathered her books and stood up. "I know," she said, "The time for kindness between us ended a while ago."

Snape tilted his head. "You're upset. Having a lover's spat?" He smirked as the words left his mouth.

Lily lifted her chin. "That's none of your concern."

"But my dear, it's everyone's concern."

Lily looked at Snape with confusion.

Snape laughed. "Don't you know? You and Potter have been voted first to marry. Though I don't know what good it will do either one of you in the end."

Lily gritted her teeth. "What about you? Who would ever marry you?"

Snape shook his head. "It doesn't matter who I marry, or even if I marry."

Lily looked Snape in the eye. "You've already been marked, haven't you?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Of course it is. I need to know my enemies so I can better prepare myself and my family against them."

Snape broke their eye contact. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, with a hint of sadness. "I would never hurt you, Lily."

Lily shook her head. "You already did, Snape. But I'm over you and any thoughts I had about the two of us. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to do some research."

Snape blocked Lily's path to the library. "You had thoughts about us?"

"Merlin, Snape. A schoolgirl's crush on her childhood friend never works out. We would never work out. You made sure of that. Now, please. I need to get to the library."

Snape moved aside and let Lily pass. "I would never hurt you, Lily," he called after her.

Lily turned back before opening the library doors. "No matter how many times you say that, Snape, it will never be true."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"It's impossible," Lily said as she sat next to Marlene for lunch.

Alice glanced up from the letter she was reading. "What's impossible?"

"Conjoined magic."

"Actually," said Dorcas, "it's not impossible. You and Potter prove that it can be done."

"That's just it. I don't know how we did it. None of the personal accounts I read about in the library mention the feeling the two of us got when doing it."

"Maybe you weren't doing conjoined magic after all. Either one of you could have lifted the feather and then said you did it together," said Dorcas. "That's what I did with Peter. He really thought for a minute that we worked well together, then he dropped his wand and sparks flew out. I moved the feather away so it wouldn't get singed and he realized he can't do magic after all."

"You say all this like it's expected," said Lily. She tilted her head to the side. "He's not as bad as you make him out to be."

"Lily, he's rubbish at anything magical. It's a wonder he's not a squib."

Lily sighed in exasperation. "When you put him on the same level as Potter, Black, or Remus, yes, his magical talent is lacking. But there's more to him than that."

"Really?" asked Dorcas. "And how often do you strike up a conversation with him?"

Alice and Marlene looked between the two. "I think we all overlook Peter most of the time," said Marlene, "but that's no reason to think he's not capable of taking care of himself."

Dorcas shrugged her shoulders. "What was all this about your and James' connection?"

Alice sighed in relief. "I have to admit, I didn't read anywhere about there having to be a connection between the two for conjoined magic to work."

Lily shook her head. "Of course you didn't read about it, because it's not in any of the books in the library. I did find out that it works better between family members and pairs with close personal ties to each other. But nothing suggests that Potter and I would be good candidates for conjoined magic."

"Talking about me, are we?" said James as he and Sirius joined the girls for lunch.

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's not always about you, Potter."

"No," said Sirius, "sometimes it's about me." He wiggled his eyebrows as he reached across the table for the pudding.

"You're just going to eat dessert, no lunch?" asked Marlene.

"What do you mean? Dessert is my lunch."

Marlene shook her head. She turned to James. "We're having problems with the magic you did with Lily in Charms. She says it never should have happened."

James shook his head. "It shouldn't've."

Lily pointed at James with her fork. "See, I told you," she said with a mouthful of potatoes.

"But we watched you. It happened," said Alice.

"Yes, it happened. But I don't know how." James paused as he took a bite of his sandwich. "All the accounts of conjoined magic working the way it did with Lily and I are between witches and wizards with greater skill and knowledge of each other. This type of magic takes years to master even the simplest of spells and charms. Lily's right, we should never have been able to levitate that feather, and forget about the book—that's way beyond what our skill level should be."

"But doesn't that say something about your actually skill level? I mean, you two could be the greatest witch and wizard of our generation," said Dorcas.

"But why would our great skill level manifest itself now, right before we leave school? Shouldn't it have shown a few years ago when we started learning more complex magic?" Lily responded.

Alice looked at James, then Lily. "Not if you have to work together for it to show," she said.

Lily put down her fork. "This is ridiculous. It was a fluke."

"Not if you can do it again," said Sirius.

Lily glared at Sirius. "Fine, I'll prove it." Both she and James took out their wands. The pudding bowl slid from in front of Sirius, traveled across the table, and stopped in front of a group of third years.

"OK, which one of you did it?" asked Dorcas.

Both Lily and James shook their heads. "We both did it," whispered Lily.

"No, seriously, who did it?" repeated Dorcas.

James looked at Lily. "You felt it, didn't you?"

Lily nodded. "It's right here." She touched her abdomen, near her ribs, yet under her heart.

"Me, too," said James.

"I think you both need to speak with Professor Flitwick tomorrow," said Alice.

Lily and James nodded as they continued to stare at each other.

**LJLJLJLJ**

"Hey Evans." James shouted from across the hall as they left the Transfiguration classroom later that day. He cut through students to join Lily on her walk back to Gryffindor tower. "I can't make our patrol tonight."

Lily rolled her eyes as they cut through a group of first years and started up the stairs. "As Head Boy, you don't really have much of a choice."

"I was hoping Alice, or maybe Marlene could fill in for me. We haven't had any trouble so far, and I just can't be there tonight."

"Gryffindor Quidditch trials aren't until Saturday, what could you possibly need the night off for?" Lily quickened her pace.

James nodded at Dennis McKinnon as he passed. "How were your trials? You held them last weekend, right?"

"You don't stand a chance this year, Potter. We got a great new seeker, and a beater that looks promising," said Dennis.

"We'll see in a few weeks, McKinnon. Be prepared to go crying back to the common room."

"It'll be you in tears, Potter." The two smiled and continued in opposite directions.

James ran ahead, weaving between the students, looking for a flash of red hair. "Lily, you could've waited," he said as he caught up to her outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Lily turned to face James. "Why do you need tonight off? And why didn't you mention it before now? You had all day."

James looked down and scratched the back of his head. "I can't tell you," he mumbled.

Lily sighed and turned to enter the common room.

"Wait," James said as he grabbed her arm, preventing her from retreating. "It's not my secret to tell."

Lily's eyes went wide. She closed the gap between them and spoke in a whisper. "I know about Remus, and I know what tonight is. But what do you have to do with it?"

James looked Lily in the eyes. "Again, it's not my secret to tell."

Lily nodded. "I'll let you go tonight. I'll take Marlene with me; Alice has been too distracted with her wedding plans. But next month, you won't get off so easily. I'll need an explanation by then."

"By next month, you'll have one."

Later that night Marlene joined Lily for her nightly patrol. "Did Potter say what he was up to?"

Lily shook her head. "No, but I hope he's ok."

Marlene stopped walking.

Lily turned when she realized Marlene was no longer next to her. "What?"

"You hope Potter is ok?"

Lily crossed her arms. "Yes, I hope Potter is ok."

Marlene nodded. "Ok, we'll continue for now, but don't think I'm going to give you a free pass forever."

Lily smiled. "I missed this."

"So have I. With N.E.W.T. preparations and your Head Girl duties, I feel like we don't spend any time together."

"We're only midway through week two, and I feel overwhelmed with everything already." Lily sighed and slipped her arm through Marlene's. "I need a distraction. Tell me how your date went with Dennis McKinnon." Lily smiled as a blush rose across Marlene's cheeks.

"It wasn't a date."

Lily let out an overly dramatic sigh. "I was hoping to live vicariously through you and Alice for a couple of months. But since you're not sharing, I'll just have to make it up."

Marlene laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

Lily raised her eyebrows, then laughed as she returned her face to normal. "You met Dennis in front of the entrance to the castle. He already had his broomstick waiting. The two of you flew across the grounds, making a dramatic swoop across the lake, where you feared you would fall off. You grabbed onto his hunky shoulders and held on tight. He landed in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, and kissed you with passion and then asked you to fulfill the law with him."

Marlene playfully pushed Lily away. "You need to find yourself a hobby."

"I don't have time for a hobby." Lily's laugh echoed through the hall, reminding the girls of their patrol. They walked silently for a few minutes, checking empty classrooms for students out of bed. "So tell me, what really happened between you and Dennis on Saturday?"

Marlene looked around the hallway, shining the light from her wand around the paintings, making sure they were asleep. "I had a great time. You know I thought he was cute last year, but he's a Ravenclaw, and I thought I'd never be smart enough for him."

"I told you then, and I'll repeat until it gets through, you are not dumb, and he is not a coward. Just because you were placed in different houses doesn't mean you're not compatible."

Marlene shrugged. "I know that. Well, after Saturday, I know that much better. We spent two hours walking around the grounds. We talked about everything. Our families, our friends, especially you and Potter."

"Why me and Potter?" Lily asked.

Marlene shrugged. "It seems that even though they're Quidditch Captains for different teams, they're actually friends. Dennis said their rivalry is more playful than anything, and he enjoys playing keeper against James' chaser because they're equal matches against each other."

"And where do I come into play?"

"You can't get mad," said Marlene. After Lily nodded Marlene continued. "We both think the two of you are also equal matches, albeit in a different way. You're both brilliant in everything you do, you both have a competitive nature, yet you both put your friends before yourself."

Lily shook her head. "I will admit that Potter has a natural ability with transfiguration and defense, and works hard in his other classes to perform at a consistent level. This puts him near the top of every class, so yes we both share some sort of magical intelligence. And yes, we're both competitive. Though he likes to show off more than perform. But I don't see how we both put our friends first, especially this year."

Marlene smiled as the two started their trip back to the Gryffindor tower. "That's just it. You do it without thinking. Sirius and Remus have been upset since the new law was announced. And I don't know everything that's going on between them, but it's taking its toll on James. He wants his friends happy. And while I know you're going to disagree with me, James let Sirius plan the pranks because he knew it would take their minds off of everything. Do you know what was in the letter from Remus' parents?"

Lily shook her head. "No, he hasn't told me yet. But I don't think it was good news."

"I don't anyone thinks it was good news, Lils. He's suffering for something, and James wanted to lighten the mood. The pranks were good for them. Did you see the four of them over the past few days? They were almost back to their old selves."

The two girls stopped in front of the Fat Lady. Lily turned to face Marlene. "Ok, so I don't agree with what you said, but I do understand it. But what about me? I've done nothing but mope and be selfish since the announcement. I hate the idea of forced marriages, but I'm muggle born, and have to comply. I've been trapped in thoughts that keep circling and there's no way out."

Marlene drew Lily into a hug. "While you may think that it's all about you, you're trying to incorporate everyone. After you realized you couldn't be miserable forever, you opened up to Alice and let her be happy for her upcoming wedding. Tonight you purposely asked me about Dennis, even though you know our relationship could turn into the marriage you hate thinking about. And though you say you disagree with my reasoning for James' behavior, you didn't berate him like you would have a year ago."

Lily pulled away from the hug. "I humiliated him and the other three in front of the entire school."

"Yes, but you didn't call him a ignorant bullying toerag. And earlier tonight, you said that you hope he's ok. Which we still haven't talked about, by the way. I will get it out of you eventually."

Lily crossed her arms.

Marlene sighed. "Don't be like that. Let's go to bed. Sleep makes everything seem a bit clearer in the morning."

Lily nodded as Marlene led her into the common room. "I think I'm going to stay down here for a bit. Get some of my thinking done while I'm awake."

Marlene squeezed Lily's hand. "I'll be up there if you need to talk some more." Marlene let go of Lily's hand and started up the stairs to the dormitories.

Lily walked to the window overlooking the Forbidden Forest. "Where are you, James?" she whispered. She sat in the window seat, letting her forehead rest against the cool glass.

Lily jumped as she heard the portrait open.

"That was brilliant, Prongs, the way you stopped that centaur from charging." Peter shook his head in amazement, a small smile across his face. "I'm completely knackered; I forgot how tiring this was." Peter ran up the stairs to the boys' dorms, oblivious to Lily.

Sirius laughed and went to follow Peter. "Are you coming?" he asked James, who had stopped in the middle of the common room.

"I'll be up in a bit."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Just remember you're going to need your energy tomorrow. Evans is sure to be full of questions. And you know she won't stop until you tell her."

James nodded. "I know. Goodnight, Sirius."

Once James heard the door to the seventh year room close he made his way to Lily.

"So that's what you meant when you said it wasn't your secret to tell."

James nodded. "But I talked to them. And while Sirius isn't exactly happy about it, I can tell you now."

Lily shook her head. "Not now. But soon."

"Ok." James now stood in front of Lily, his knees against the seat, preventing her from getting up. "Why are you still up? You should have gotten back hours ago."

"We did. I wanted to think."

"About?"

"Something Marlene said about us." Lily pulled her legs up to her chest so James had room to sit down next to her.

"And what did it make you think?" he asked as he sat by her feet.

Lily smiled and looked out the window. "That you're not longer an ignorant bullying toerag."

James smiled and gently traced Lily's fingers with his.

Lily looked at their hands, and took a deep breath in. "Have you asked anyone to the party Friday night?"

James shook his head. "The girl I want to ask is sitting in front of me, and I'm too afraid she'll say 'no'."

Lily began entwining her fingers with James'. "Maybe she's not ready."

"I don't think she is. But I'll wait for her." James brought Lily's fingers to his lips and kissed them, savoring the feel of her skin against him. "Go to bed, Lily. You need your rest."

Lily watched as James walked up to his dorm. "Goodnight, James," she said before standing and going up to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 7**

"I am very disappointed with these results. There are fifteen flasks in front of me, and only three received a passing grade." Professor Slughorn waved at the bottles filled with potions in front of him. A few continued to bubble inside their corked containers.

The class groaned. "He wasn't like this last year," Sirius said under his breath.

"Last year we weren't in danger of failing our N.E.W.T.s," said Remus.

"It's September, N.E.W.T.s aren't until June. There is no danger of failing," said Sirius as he laid his head on the desk.

"These must be redone," continued Professor Slughorn. "And to think, I started with the easy potions as a simple lead in to the more complex ones. Please be more attentive to the process this time. Go with your gut feeling. If the exact amount won't turn the potion the proper shade, then go a little lighter with the ingredient. You are N.E.W.T. students; you should know this by now.

"In addition to completing all three potions this time, I want five feet of parchment describing the process for each potion, paying close attention to how you went wrong the first time and what you did to fix it. You need to understand the delicate balance between ingredients and timing before we move on. I see that look Mister Avairs, and no, there will be no extensions. That means fifteen feet of parchment and three flasks of potions, one each of the Forgetfulness Potion, the Sleeping Draught, and the Confusing Concoction, are to be on my desk Monday morning. I will keep the lab open over the weekend so you may continue to work in pairs. But by Monday, we will move on to more complex potions."

Sirius sighed. "There go Quidditch trials."

James looked over. "I'm still holding trials, Padfoot, and I expect you and Moony to be there. You're my top pick for beater, and I needed Moony's opinion on everyone else."

"With all this Quidditch practice, when will we have time to finish these potions, Potter?" asked Lily.

James shrugged his shoulders. "Sunday?"

Lily shook her head. "You're hopeless."

As Lily began setting up their cauldron and instructions, James went to gather the ingredients from the school store.

"I see there's trouble in paradise."

"Bugger off, Snivellus," James said, purposely refusing to look at Snape.

"Look at her, Potter." Spit flew from Snape's mouth as he spoke. "She's not happy with you. She'll never be happy with you."

James looked at Lily. Her brows were knotted together, and she furiously wrote notes along the margin of her text. She looked at James' text still open on the desk and magically erased some of James' notes and replaced them with her own.

James smiled. "Doesn't look too unhappy to me."

"You could never fulfill her needs, Potter. You're better off stopping before it's too late."

James looked Snape in the eye. "I've been looking after her since our first year here, Snivellus, I'm not going to stop now." James returned to Lily and began organizing the ingredients. "The Forgetfulness Potion, again, right?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Lily. "I've been trying to think of what we could have done wrong, and I think I've found it."

"Lily, you do realize that the three passing flasks are mine, yours, and Snape's?"

"I thought Remus was third in the class?" Lily asked as she looked over the ingredients James brought over.

"He's smart, but not great when he's working with Sirius."

Lily nodded. "Still, the coloring was a bit off. It should be a deeper blue. We probably added the Jabberknoll feathers a few seconds too late."

James nodded his head. "Right. Because Jabberknoll feathers are our problem."

"Potter, please don't make me recite the importance of these feathers in memory potions. Because if I did, I would be writing your essay for you."

"Sorry," said James. The two continued to work in silence, alternating between grinding and cutting ingredients and stirring the contents of their cauldron.

"And now, we slowly reduce the flame before extinguishing it. And we're done." Lily looked proudly at their potion. "Yes, this is the correct shade of blue. Much better than last time."

James looked into the cauldron and could see no difference. "Yep, much better. You were right; it probably was the Jabberknoll feathers."

Lily began bottling their potion in two separate flasks. "I was thinking we could meet around ten Sunday morning. We could start with the Sleeping Draught, since that needs the most time to simmer, which would allow us to work on our essays. And then after a quick lunch, we could finish with the Confusing Concoction."

"What about your other schoolwork?"

Lily shrugged one shoulder. "I'll finish everything else by Saturday night, so I'll only have to worry about Potions on Sunday. Although you're one to talk. How are you going to finish with Quidditch trials tomorrow?"

James smirked. "I'll manage." He ran a hand through his hair, unknowingly leaving strands sticking up in his wake. "It would be nice if you came round the Quidditch pitch tomorrow. You know, if you just sat in the stands while you did some of your work. It's always good to see fellow Gryffindors supporting the team, and it gives great moral to the younger ones who are trying out for the first time." James' glasses were slipping off his nose as he looked down, reluctant to look at Lily.

"Maybe I will, Potter," said Lily.

James' head snapped up and he watched as Lily took out her wand and labeled the two flasks before walking them up to Slughorn's desk.

Sirius sat in Lily's empty stool. "Why do you look like you're catching flies?"

"She said 'maybe'." James' eyes never left Lily's form as she went to talk with Alice and Marlene.

Sirius nodded. "Right. Maybe. Sure thing, Prongs."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"You don't have to stand here and talk to me, Lils. You should go, mingle. You might find the man of your dreams," said Alice with an obvious wink. She and Lily were standing underneath a portrait of a gargoyle that kept growling, thus keeping away the other students.

Lily sighed. The sixth and seventh year party was only half way through, and Lily was bored. She kept sneaking glances at James in the center of the room, surrounded by girls from every house. "So, how are the wedding plans coming?" she asked Alice.

"You know very well how the plans are coming along since I update you every time I change my mind." Alice took a quick inventory of the room. "You did a nice job with the party."

"Oh, that wasn't me. Potter said he'd take care of everything." Lily tried to discreetly watch James while talking to Alice. "He said Black was really into the whole idea and wanted to help, so I let them take care of it."

"And right now you're wondering what they put in the food."

Lily turned her full attention back to Alice. "It does seem rather suspicious, doesn't it?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Everything's working out fine. The room looks great, the food is fantastic, and the music selection is good. The only thing wrong is you standing with me while every guy in this room is ogling you."

Lily took a quick look around the room. "Why are they staring? Did I spill that fruit tart on me? I knew I shouldn't have eaten food supplied by Potter. Was it Potter? Did he hex me? I can't see if he did anything." Lily glanced down, trying to find something wrong with the way she looked.

"Nothing is wrong with you. They're staring because they're waiting for me to leave you alone so they can pounce."

Lily straightened up. "So Potter didn't do anything?"

"Potter created a situation that could only result in his jealousy over the guy who eventually captures your attention. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to join the gaggle of girls surrounding Potter and watch the boys trip on their way to be the first to talk to you." With that, Alice left Lily to her own devices.

Lily turned and faced the room. Suddenly, all other faces turned away from her. She held her breath and waited. As she watched the others, she noticed secretive glances made her way.

"Hi, Lily. Would you like some pumpkin juice?" Travis Avairs, the seventh year Hufflepuff prefect, was standing behind Lily, two glasses of pumpkin juice in his hands.

Lily turned toward Travis. "Oh, sure. That would be nice." She accepted the proffered glass and took a sip. "It's lovely."

Travis smiled. "Hogwarts' finest."

Lily giggled nervously and made sure to smile. "Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Travis?" she asked.

"Now I am." He casually leaned his shoulder against the wall, causing the gargoyles in the painting to squeal at his proximity. "So this is what you do in your spare time? Plan events and coordinate the actions of house elves? It's a valuable skill; one that my mother knows well. Our three house elves are very well trained, and I was promised one as a wedding present. I'm hoping for the youngest, Emzie. She's been with my family for six generations, and is a great asset to running a smooth household. Unfortunately, I believe my father wants to do away with Rami, the eldest. He's too old for most of the required work, and a complete waste if you ask me. What about you? Are your parents giving you a house elf as well? Two elves in one household are lovely."

"No, I don't believe they are." Lily quickly looked over at Alice, who was laughing with the other girls at James Potter, then at Marlene, who was talking intimately with Dennis McKinnon. Her last hope, Dorcas, had already left for the evening, claiming that there was no reason to stay, as she had no plans "to bag a husband." "And actually," Lily said as she turned back to Travis, "I didn't prepare anything for tonight. James Potter and Sirius Black did most of the planning." Lily saw Remus in the corner of her eye and she mentally willed him to interrupt.

Travis' smile dipped slightly at Lily's mention of James, but then quickly recovered. "Well, I'll have to admit, he is skilled. Sending singing love notes to every girl in school takes some considerable talent, as well as an over abundance of time. I, for one, am far too busy to concentrate on that many girls. One at time is plenty." His teeth shone as he spoke, causing Lily to stare at their brightness.

"Hmm." Lily took another sip from the glass in her hand. "So, Travis, how are your N.E.W.T. preparations going?"

"There are preparations? In September?" Travis laughed loudly, causing many students to look at the pair in the corner. "I'm practically guaranteed a position at the Ministry. I don't even have to apply, they're handing me the position."

Remus raised his eyebrows at Lily after Travis' outburst.

Lily tried calling Remus over with a slight head motion that looked more like a nervous twitch.

Remus gave a slight upward turn of his lip before raising his glass of pumpkin juice to his lips.

Lily returned to Travis. "So you're going into the Ministry after Hogwarts? That seems exciting. You'll be able to help stop the war."

"Oh, no. I won't be going into the Ministry directly out of Hogwarts. I'm planning on touring the magical communities of Europe. There's a beautiful little village outside of Vienna that hand makes these incredible musical instruments, and then charms them to play anything you ask. And the French Alps are full of secret communities hidden from muggle eyes."

"Wow. I didn't know such communities existed. Are you going alone?"

"No," Travis said with another laugh. "My father's dream was to travel throughout Europe, and with my upcoming graduation, and the increasing danger staying in Britain brings to wizards, he thought it would be best to spend the next few years out of the country. We leave two days after I return to London."

"So you won't be fighting in the war?" Lily asked with her eyebrows raised, looking astonished at Travis' blatant disregard for Britain's wizarding safety.

"It's not that I don't want to fight, Lily. But think of it this way. My wife, whomever she shall be," Travis said with a wink, "and I would retreat from the danger and then return in a few years and help rebuild the wizarding right. We would be safe. Why fight when—"

"No. I can't believe you just said no."

Lily and Travis turned to Sirius, now standing with Remus.

"I had it all worked out, and you said no. Now what? What am I to do now?" Sirius shouted at Remus, brushing his hair back from his face, showing his furrowed eyebrows and flared nostrils.

The room quieted as everyone turned to stare at the pair.

"I thank you for your consideration, Sirius, but I cannot do it. You know all the reasons against us; please, don't make me spell it out for you." Remus looked torn. His hands itched to run through Sirius' hair in comfort while his feet wanted to flee from the unwanted attention of the other students.

Sirius straightened his back and looked somber through the strands of hair that made their way back in front of his face. "It can work." He made to reach out to Remus.

Remus shook his head and took a step back. "I can't, Sirius. Please don't ask me again." His voice was soft.

Sirius took a quick survey of the students staring at them. "You're embarrassing us. Please, reconsider."

"You brought this on, Sirius." Remus turned and walked out the room.

Lily met James' gaze after Sirius followed in a rush.

"You Gryffindors really are something," said Travis.

Lily kept her attention locked on James while Travis tried to pull her back to him.

"First you throw a great party, then you go and ruin it."

Lily snapped back to Travis. "Did you ever think that what happened is more important than a silly party? Two of my friends just had a serious fight, and you're standing there criticizing them because they ruined your precious party."

"Well, they didn't ruin all of it. The night's still young, we could make our own private party elsewhere." Travis smiled, causing the dim light to shine off his teeth again.

"Forget it. Go find some girl who will drool over you, because I won't." With that, Lily turned and walked to the other side of the room where James, Alice, Marlene, and Dennis were gathered.

"Should one of us go after them?" asked Alice.

James shook his head. "Peter just left to find them and make sure they don't kill each other. I've seen them argue before, and it will get ugly. Remus probably walked out because he didn't want everyone witnessing that."

"Will they be ok?" Lily asked, placing her hand on James' shoulder.

James felt the warmth from Lily's hand through his sweater. "They will be. I'll have a talk with them separately tomorrow after Quidditch trials. We'll get it worked out."

"Yes, your Quidditch trials. Good luck finding a replacement seeker, Potter. After Yeats left, you're done with," said Dennis.

"Don't be so sure of yourself McKinnon. I'm known for training my teammates to play in any position, and I will find a replacement for Yeats, and he'll be even better."

Lily smiled at their banter and unconsciously slid her hand down James' arm and slipped her arm through his. "You don't think you're being a little over sure of yourself, Potter?" she asked.

James looked at their entwined arms. "I'm never overly sure of myself. I'm always just sure enough.

Marlene looked at the pair in front of her. "Come on, Dennis, let's leave to do some unspeakable act in an empty broom closet before these two come searching for unscrupulous students out past curfew."

"Be sure to stay close to the fifth floor, we won't be there for at least two hours," said James as Marlene led Dennis out of the room.

"They're a cute couple, aren't they?" said Lily.

Alice nodded. "She really seems to like him. And he's good to her. Yesterday, he flew a note to her desk in Muggle Studies and asked if she felt alright because she looked a bit pale."

"Was she ok?" asked Lily.

"Oh, yes. We were reviewing the muggle wars, and you know how she gets about them." Alice smiled as Lily leaned her head against James' shoulder. "I think I'm done mingling for the night. You two did a fantastic job. Thank you."

"Good night, Alice," said James.

"Yes, good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow," said Lily. Lily turned her attention to James. "It was a good night, wasn't it?" The party was winding down and James and Lily began to clean up.

"It turned out better than I expected. Even a few Syltherins showed up. That's definitely a plus."

"You did a wonderful job with everything," Lily said. She watched as the last of the students left the room. Only she and James remained.

James looked up from the pumpkin juice spill he was waving away with his wand. "Thank you. But you know I can't take all the credit. Sirius did help."

"Yes, I was originally suspicious about that. But everything turned out all right. Do you know what he and Remus were fighting about? It seemed pretty serious."

James stopped cleaning for a moment. "It's really important to both of them, but not for me to tell." James looked at the mess around the room. "Who knew fifty people could create such a big mess?"

"Any house elf could have told you it's a chore cleaning up after us. And you seem so well connected to the house elves here that I thought you would have know that."

James smirked as he levitated cups and plates towards the trash bin. "Here's an idea," he said as he turned towards Lily. "Why don't we try using conjoined magic to make the clean up go faster? The extra practice will help with our essays."

Lily twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers. "I suppose we could give it a try." She walked so she was standing next to James. "What first?"

James pointed his wand at the table filled with leftover food. Lily did the same. Suddenly, the food disappeared and the table returned itself to a teacher's desk. The two turned their attentions to the other corners of the room. When they were through, they were standing in an empty classroom, no evidence of a party remaining.

"It's a bit of a rush, isn't it?" asked Lily, her left hand resting over her heart, its increased beating causing her to take slow, calming breaths.

James looked at Lily's flushed cheeks. "Yeah, it is. Have you tried it with anyone else?"

Lily nodded. "Alice. We're not a good match. You?"

"All the Marauders. Only Sirius and Remus work well together, but neither of them feel what I feel when I do magic with you."

"It's strange, isn't it? Why should we feel this connection so strongly when there's no documented proof of anything like this ever happening before?"

"I was thinking of talking to Professor Flitwick after class on Monday, if you'd like to join me?" James led Lily out of the now quiet classroom and through the corridors for their nightly patrol.

"I think I would, thank you."

"So, I saw you and Avairs tonight. Was I witnessing the birth of the next great Hogwarts' couple?" James nudged Lily playfully with his shoulder, but his smile didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Please, it was just a friendly conversation." Lily kept her face neutral as the two checked behind statues and in empty classrooms.

"So that's why he laughed so loud. Because of your 'friendly conversation'."

Lily tried to keep her face straight as they made their way down to the dungeons. "Ugh. Fine. I don't understand it. All the girls talk about Travis Avairs and his great personality and award winning smile, but he was a complete bore with too many teeth showing. And they were so white; I felt like I needed to shield myself from their glare."

James kept his smile to himself as they continued their way through the dungeon corridor.

"And he's planning on hiding out during the war. What a coward. They'll be nothing to rebuild if everyone goes into hiding." Lily sighed. "And what about you? Did you enjoy amusing the ladies who grappled for your attention?"

"I found the evening amusing," James said with a shrug of his shoulder. "You should know that there was only one person in the room I wanted to impress, and I think I did a pretty good job of that."

Lily went to turn towards James when the shine from a prefect badge caught her eye. She immediately raised her wand and filled the hallway with light. "Mister Vaisey, what are you doing out past curfew?"

The fifth year Syltherin glared at Lily and James. "I'm warning you to stay away."

"Nice attitude, Vaisey. Let's see you hold onto it on the Quidditch pitch," said James.

Lily placed a hand on James' arm. "Not now," she said before returning to Vaisey. "What's going on?" she asked.

Vaisey smirked and began to walk backwards. When he was out of earshot of Lily and James, he whispered and a door appeared to his right. With a nod and a smirk to the Heads of the School, Vaisey disappeared into the Syltherin common room.

Lily let out the breath she was holding in. "That was odd."

James scanned the corridor for any more students. "I'll inform Professor Dumbledore tomorrow morning. We should go before something happens."

Lily nodded and allowed James to lead her up the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 8**

James looked up at the players flying around the Quidditch pitch.

"So, what do you think of them?" asked Remus.

James jumped on his broom and hovered slightly above the ground. "I'll let you know after the trial." James turned his complete attention to Remus. "Pay attention to them. I need to know flying ability, coordination, speed, and skill with the quaffle, bludgers, and snitch. We'll discuss it later. And we'll discuss last night."

"There's nothing to discuss about last night." Remus turned and walked toward the stands, his fist tightly closed around James' Quidditch notebook.

James shook his head and rose to meet those trying for a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He saw Lily sitting in the stands. She was by herself, an unopened textbook by her side. He waved, and smiled as she waved back.

Remus joined Lily in the stands. "We didn't believe James when he said you might show up here today."

Lily kept her eyes focused on James. "I wasn't going to, but then I change my mind."

"And what caused that change?"

Lily shrugged. She watched James shout orders and the other Gryffindors follow. "He's a natural up there, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's generated quite a fan club because of it. It was a bit of a distraction last year during practices. But it looks like you have your own fan club." Remus turned behind them and chuckled at the first and second year boys huddled together.

Lily turned to look and wave. "They're exciting, but a bit too young for me. And what about you, don't you have a fan club?"

"After last night, I didn't think anyone would want to be in my fan club."

Lily placed her hand on Remus' knee. "I'm still here, Remus. What happened between you and Sirius?"

Remus was quiet as he took notes on the new players in the air. He watched as James instructed Sirius to hit the practice bludgers towards those trying to score a goal.

Sirius waved his bat and glanced at Remus, a look of longing drawn across his face.

Lily gasped. "Why didn't I see it before? You're in love with him."

"Yes," replied Remus.

"That's why he wanted to help James set up last night. He wanted to do something special for you."

"Except it turned out to be a disaster."

"What happened Remus?" Lily was concerned. The man next to her was one of her dearest friends, and she didn't want to see him hurt.

Remus took a few more notes before returning his attention to the pitch. "He asked me to marry him."

"Oh, but that's good news, Remus, not something to fight about."

Remus swiveled so he was facing Lily. "You need to understand this, because I don't want you meddling. Sirius and I cannot get married. We cannot have children. We will not fulfill the law. And because I love him, I want him to live outside of Azkaban. He needs to find a wife before November. I can't keep holding him back. I am a werewolf, Lily; you know that. I would never be able to marry, and Sirius needs to face that reality."

"Oh, Remus. You've never been more wrong."

"Please, Lily. Drop it."

Lily watched as Remus returned his attention to the players in front of them, taking careful notes for James. "That third year looks promising. A little rough right now, but it seems he has talent."

Lily tried to find whom Remus was talking about. "To tell you the truth, I don't understand much about Quidditch."

"James will be so upset. The girl of his dreams doesn't understand his passion in life."

"I thought _I_ was his passion in life."

Remus smiled. "This is true. So, what changed your mind? Why did you decide to watch today?"

Lily looked at James up in the air. He was teaching a new player the correct way to hold a bludger bat.

"You like him," said Remus.

Lily quickly looked away from James. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, so it's ok for me to spill my secrets, but you can keep yours?"

Lily's voice was soft when she spoke again. "Something's changed, Remus. I can feel it. Last night while I was talking with Travis, I kept thinking of James and those girls flirting with him"

"You've nothing to worry about, Lily. James doesn't fancy any of them. He wanted to draw your attention away from the other boys in the room. He finds them inferior and unqualified to capture your heart."

Lily continued to watch James as he flew around the pitch. "What makes him so high and mighty that he can make that assumption?"

"It's not an assumption, Lily. He values you above everything else in the world. If you said you would be undeniably happy married to the Giant Squid and wanted to live under the castle and have its babies, James would let you go. But you wouldn't be happy there."

Lily made a noise, about to interrupt Remus' diatribe.

"No, Lily. You need to hear this. If anyone else could love you more than he does, and if you returned that love, James would let you go. But I don't think that will ever happen. And neither does he. He's so protective of you because he knows that no other man could care for you and about you the way he does. Give him a chance, Lily. After six years he deserves it."

On the pitch James was shouting at Sirius. "Get you head in the game, Padfoot, or you'll be in the stands with those two all season."

Sirius turned away from Lily and Remus and faced-off against James. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're slacking, and if you don't prove to be the player I know you are, you will be replaced by that third year who almost knocked Connors off her broom. Right now he's showing some real potential with that beater's bat, and I'd rather have someone who shows potential on my team than someone who's going to sulk over his boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend." Sirius flew off and hit a bludger towards James.

"Good, except I wasn't trying to score a goal. Try aiming for that fifth year; I want to see how she holds up against the added pressure." James flew around the pitch observing the new players and critiquing the old. "Nice goal Connors, but aim a bit higher next time. You need to account for the wind resistance. Good hit, Peakes, nice work with the bat."

James ran the trial for another hour before calling the players down. "Thank you, everyone. You showed some real promise today. It will be a tough decision. I'll have the final team list posted by tomorrow night, and our first practice will be Monday night, seven o'clock. If you have any issues with practicing three to four nights a week, let me know now. Even with the harsh practices, you will be required to do well with your schoolwork, and stay out of detention. I take this game seriously, and if you make the team, I expect you to as well. Thanks for your time today."

The players wearily trudged towards the locker room to shower before heading back to Gryffindor tower. James looked up in the stands and saw Lily still sitting there with Remus by her side.

"It seems she showed after all," said Sirius. He helped James gather the equipment off the field and into the Captain's office attached to the side of the locker rooms.

James returned the balls and bats to their rightful place before turning and locking the door with his wand.

"What did you do that for?" asked Sirius.

"We need to have a talk. I almost lost you as a player today, Padfoot. And to tell you the truth, I'm afraid of what will happen later in the season if I keep you on the team."

Sirius shucked his pads from his body and threw them to the floor before sitting in the one chair in the office. "What are you going on about, Prongs? You know me. You need me to play."

James shook his head. "No, I want you to play as my teammate. But as your captain, I need you to help train the new players. I don't want to leave an inexperienced team for next year. But you need to get your head together. You can't let Remus dictate your actions." James sighed as Sirius bent his head in frustration. "What happened last night?"

Sirius' head shot up. "He bloody said 'no', didn't he? Says I need to find a woman who can carry my children; that I need to fulfill the law. Add to that that he can never marry because of his condition." His voice was raw as he shouted at James. "He said no."

James grew somber at the shine in Sirius' eyes. "Did you fight?"

Sirius knew James was talking about a physical altercation and not the screaming match that took place both during the party and afterward. His spoke softly, afraid of admitting his faults to his trusted friend. "I have a few new scratches. And I believe he's sporting some bruises. Nothing serious, we know when to stop."

James nodded. "Let me see them."

Sirius took off his Quidditch uniform. His chest and his upper arms were littered with red welts.

James examined the marks with a careful eye. "You've done worse to each other. I'll make sure to check Remus when we go over our notes." James took a healing salve off a shelf and rubbed it into Sirius' arm.

"Thanks," said Sirius. "You may want to check his leg. I think I got in a few good kicks."

"Have you thought of it from his perspective?" asked James, moving from Sirius' shoulder to his chest.

"When I woke this morning, the letter from his parents was on my pillow." Sirius hissed as James rubbed a spot that was still raw.

"He's been guarding that for over a week now. What did they say?"

"They said that he should turn himself over to Azkaban now since he could never bear children and would never fulfill the law. They have no hope for him. And to think, just this summer we were contemplating telling them about us. We thought they would be happy for us. It would have been nice to have one set of parents in our lives. It will never happen now." Sirius bowed his head as James' touch on his shoulders turned from healing to comfort. "I understand the complications, James. But I've read the law, and there's nothing in there that says marriage is restricted to a witch and a wizard. Two wizards can marry."

"What about the part about children?" asked James. "Doesn't that restrict it to a man and a woman?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "We have three years to worry about that problem. By then, disobeying this silly law will be at the bottom of the ministry's enforcement list."

James nodded and sat on the floor facing Sirius. "Say all that is true, he's still a werewolf."

"Don't you think I know that? I've lived with him for over six years now, same as you, Prongs. I love him for who he is. Did you know that he sometimes growls in his sleep? The wolf dreams without the full moon. He enjoys the taste of blood, and it's often erotic for him. And not all of the scratches you covered up today were caused in anger. He gnaws at the ends of his quills, leaving small, often unseen, bits of feathers in between his teeth. A few days before the moon he gets anxious, like he's yearning for the transformation. And he's always a bit depressed for a few days afterwards. I know you and Wormtail think it's because of the strain on his body, but really it's because he feels a stronger connection to the wolf throughout those days. He finds it difficult to be human during that time."

"I didn't know."

There was a knock at the door. "James, I have the notes if you're ready." Remus' voice came from the other side of the door.

Sirius stood up and gathered his discarded Quidditch gear. "Let me go, James."

With a wave of his wand James unlocked the door and it opened.

As Sirius passed Remus he took a deep breath in, smelling ink, parchment, and a feint trace of animal coming from the other man. Sirius reached out and brushed his fingers against Remus' cheek before leaving the office.

Remus entered and closed the door behind him. "I see you healed him. Did you get the one along his spine?"

"I did."

Remus nodded. "Good."

James walked to his friend and took the notebook from his hands, placing it to the side. "Now it's your turn. Let's see."

Remus sighed and stripped off his shirt.

"Pants too. Rumor has it you might be sporting some spots on your legs as well."

Instead of arguing with James, Remus kicked off his shoes and fiddled with his belt. "Is he still upset?" he asked as his pants slid down his legs.

"He's going to be upset for a while. He firmly believed that the man he loves would marry him before the end of the year. And now his heart is aching for his companion to return to him."

"James, you know I cannot marry him. It wouldn't be good for either one of us."

James looked over the bruises and scratches on Remus' chest and legs. "You need to fight better, Remus. He got you good."

"I didn't put much effort into it. I wanted him to do well today."

"He gave a piss poor performance anyway."

Remus shook his head. "I know. The first half of the trial was hell to watch. He wasn't focused, and that's my fault. But once you got him into the game, he did really well."

James took another bottle of ointment off the shelf and began to rub it into the bruises on Remus' body. "I can't have him do that in a real game, Moony. It could cost us the Cup. Not all of these are new."

Remus looked at the bruise James was talking about. "Some are from the full moon; my body is taking longer to heal lately."

"Some are even older that that, Moony. When did the two of you fight before this?"

Remus stood straight and stared ahead. "It's none of your concern, James."

"Like hell it's not," replied James. "My two best friends are fighting, and the marks on both of their bodies prove that it has been happening for a while now. What's going on, Remus? What aren't you two telling me?"

Remus pushed James aside and began redressing. "We've been fighting since McGonagall announced the bloody law. It's all we talk about. He wants to speak with Dumbledore about us getting married. I can't do it, Prongs. I cannot condemn the man I love to a cell in Azkaban."

"By not marring him, you could be doing just that." James returned the bottle to the shelf and picked up Remus' notes from the trial. "If he doesn't marry you, he won't marry before the new year, which could land him in Azkaban. At least if the two of you married, you both could be spared for a few years."

"But what about children? Even magic can't fix that problem."

James shrugged as be flipped through Remus' notes. "You have three years to hope and pray to Merlin that the ministry either changes its mind, or has more pressing issues to deal with than hunting after every barren couple." His eyes paused on one page and his eyebrows furred in concentration. "You think that third year would be an asset to the team as well."

Remus glanced at the book over James' shoulder. "Yes. He held some promise as a beater. Could do with some training, though. Sirius would be a great help in that area."

"Hmmm," said James as he continued to look through Remus' notes. "These are good. Thanks, Moony."

**LJLJLJLJ**

"And now we wait," said Lily after adding the final ingredients to the Confusing Concoction simmering in front of them.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each working on their individual essays. They had been working quietly together for the better part of the morning, leaving James time to think of how to approach the subject of the marriage law. He wanted to know Lily's thoughts, especially if she had any designs on a husband. He scratched his head and thought that being blunt would be the best way to go. "So, have you given any thought to the marriage law?"

Lily twirled the quill in her fingers. "I have, actually. And I wanted to discuss it with you."

James held his breath.

Lily placed her quill next to her piece of parchment and turned to face James fully. "I think we should have a marriage of convenience."

James nodded and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Right. Convenience."

"Remember the night McGonagall informed us of the law?"

James nodded his head; he remembered the night well. That was the night he knew what it felt like to hold Lily in his arms. He wanted that again, but was cautious of her reaction.

"You said it might be best if one person in the relationship loved the other, because then love would be present. Well, a person doesn't spend the best part of six years asking a girl out without feeling something; otherwise he'd be a complete moron to be rejected constantly. And you've made subtle choices this year that show you've changed, and that maybe you really do care for me. So I think a marriage of convenience would be best for us."

James slowly took in the vision in front of him. Lily's face was set in a determined manner. Her chin was held high, and her eyes remained calm, yet focused. She wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail today, showing off her high cheekbones and lean neck. "Say my name, Lily."

Lily's mouth dropped open slightly. "I say your name all the time, Potter."

James shook his head. "No, you call me 'Potter'." He reached forward and grabbed Lily's hand, placing it against his chest, over his heart. "Call me by my name."

"James," she whispered. She felt his heart leap as his name passed her lips.

"It's more than really caring for you, Lily. This isn't a decision to make lightly."

Lily extracted her hand from his. "I'm not making it lightly. With Remus out of the question, you're my only choice. No one else would be able to put up with me."

James' head tilted to the side. "Is that what you think? That I 'put up' with you?" He shook his head. "My dear, Lily, you're way off the mark. I don't stare at you in the classes we share because I'm bored. I never teased you because I thought you were an easy target. And I don't ask you out nearly every day just because I enjoy your variations on the word 'no'. There was always something deeper between the two of us. And before I say yes to what I think is a marriage proposal, I need you to recognize that."

Lily turned away from him. "Who knew rejection from you would hurt so much."

James reached forward and entwined the ends of her hair in his fingers. "It hurts every time you say no, Lily. I've asked you out four hundred thirty-two times, and you've said no to each one. Please, Lily, go to Hogsmede with me next Saturday. A real date between the two of us before you make any decisions about marriage." James held his breath and waited for Lily to answer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 9**

"So, Misses Longbottom, we hear Frank is coming to visit on Saturday," Sirius said as he squeezed himself in between Alice and Lily at the Gryffindor table Monday morning.

Lily moved over to allow Sirius more room as he reached across her for the plate of toast, forcing her left side to become flush with James.

Alice leaned back and raised her eyebrows at Lily. "Why yes, he will be here on Saturday. We have a few things to discuss for the wedding. And how would you know that?"

"Oh, easy," said Peter from across the table. "We're to go shopping with him."

"Shopping? What for?" asked Alice, now getting more suspicious as the four Marauders piled toast and bacon into napkins.

"He didn't say," said James, "but we'll think of a few things a soon-to-be-married man needs before then."

The four stood as quickly as they had sat down. "Cheers, ladies," said Sirius, raising his bacon sandwich at the two girls.

"I hate to leave you so quickly, but we'll see each other again soon," said James.

"Sorry for the shortness, but we must be going you know," said Remus.

Peter looked at the other three as they fled from the table. "Oh, bye," he said to Lily and Alice with a wave before following the others out of the Great Hall.

"What was that all about?" asked Lily.

Alice shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't like it. They weren't like this over the summer, that's for sure. I'm going to have to write to Frank. We don't need their fooling around at the wedding."

Lily returned her attention to the porridge in front of her. "You never know, they could be planning a surprise wedding gift."

"I don't want a surprise wedding gift. At least not one from those four. It'll end up blown up in someone's face."

"Friday night was nice. They did a good job with that. The sixth year girls are still talking about it, and you know how difficult it is for them to stay on one subject for long periods of time."

"Speaking of the weekend, what was up with you and James?" Alice asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't do this, Lily. Don't pretend that I'm an inconsiderate idiot that can't see something is bothering her best friend."

Lily put down her spoon and turned to face Alice. "When you and I were talking Friday night, and he was standing there surrounded by all these girls, I thought, he can't care for me like everyone thinks, otherwise he wouldn't be flirting with them. And then you went to join them and I got stuck with Travis, and I thought if Travis is the only boy brave enough to approach me because of Potter, he's won."

Alice shook her head in confusion. "I'm trying here, Lily, I really am. But I'm not following you."

"Potter has spent the best part of six years teasing me every chance he gets. And then he started asking me out. And it gets worse because the other boys think he has some sort of claim on me. And even when a few of them managed to bypass the intimidation, Potter mucks it up. I thought about it all day Saturday, and only one boy talked to me Friday night, and he turned out to be a right cowardly bore. Don't you see? Potter's won. None of the other boys will approach me, I might as well agree to marry Potter because he'll torture anyone else who tries."

"Now that's a pathetic excuse to marry someone, Lils."

"That's what Potter said."

Alice's eyes grew wide. "You talked to him about this?"

"Why wait? I told him yesterday while we were working on our Potion's homework."

"And what did he say?"

Lily turned her attention back to her porridge. She played with her spoon, causing the extra milk in her bowl to spill onto the table. "He made me call him by his first name." Her voice was soft and wistful.

Alice smiled. "And?"

"And, I've only called him James a handful of times in seven years. It scared me how easily it came out. And how much I enjoyed saying it."

"You should try calling him James more often. Did you know that he purposely riles you up just to hear you say his full name? He says it's the only time he can get you to call him 'James'."

"I just thought he liked annoying me." Lily shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, we're going to spend some time together at Hogsmede on Saturday. He said I can't marry him if I've never gone out with him."

"He's right, you know." Alice saw the teachers begin to head out of the Great Hall for their morning classes. "Let's go, or we'll be late for Potions. And with all the parchment to hand in, I'll be glad to get it over with."

Lily followed Alice towards the dungeons. They separated once they reached the Potions' classroom. Alice went to her table with Marlene, and Lily joined James, Remus, and Sirius.

"Why were you in such a hurry this morning?" she asked the boys as she sat down.

Sirius placed his chin in his hand and stared at Lily with a smirk on his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Remus hit Sirius' shoulder. "Knock it off," he said.

Sirius straightened in his seat and looked down dejectedly.

Lily watched the exchange and looked at James. "Well?"

James smiled sweetly at her. "Just a few things we had to take care of."

Lily looked dubious. "Just as long as no one gets hurt."

"Of course not," replied James.

Professor Slughorn shuffled into the room. "Books and cauldrons away, please. Today you will be tested on your knowledge of the theory of the Forgetfulness Potion, the Sleeping Draught, and the Confusing Concoction." With a wave of his wand Slughorn distributed the exams to the fifteen students in front of him. "The theory portion of your Potion N.E.W.T. will look similar to the examination in front of you, though your N.E.W.T. will cover far more material. You have until the end of the class. Please manage your time well. Hopefully the extra work you did over the weekend will have prepared you for these essays."

Lily glanced at James and gave him a small smile before picking up her quill and starting the exam.

James looked at the first question. "Jabberknoll feathers play an important role in memory potions. Please explain." James smiled as he thought of Lily's lecture on Jabberknoll feathers. It wasn't just the feathers; it was the way they were plucked, the color of the plumage, and finding the exact time to add them to the potion. He began to write furiously.

An hour later their exams, as well as their fifteen feet of parchment and three flasks of potions, were sitting on Slughorn's desk. The Gryffindors headed towards Charms.

"Well, that exam was rather easy, wouldn't you agree?" James asked the group.

Everyone except Lily groaned in response.

"Hopefully Charms will be better," said Alice.

"Great. More useless wand waving with partners who hold no significance to me," said Sirius as he hurried forward and separated himself from the group.

Lily watched as Remus looked at his feet. She turned towards James and raised her eyebrows, silently asking if he knew anything.

James shrugged his shoulders. He knew that besides formalities Remus and Sirius hadn't spoken to each other since Friday night. But he also knew that each man wanted the other to be taken care of. Sirius wrote down a list of things James should do in case Remus got too impatient with him. And Remus hunted James down in the corridor Sunday night and made sure that James would use the time after Quidditch practice to exercise any frustrations out of Sirius.

The group walked into the Charms' classroom and met up with Dorcas and Peter. During the class, they frequently switched partners to see if any other pairing besides Lily and James would be able to perform conjoined magic.

Though Lily felt a slight tug of connection with Remus, their feather remained stationary on the desk. "I thought for a moment it might work, but then nothing," she said.

"That feeling, that pull, is that what you feel when you and James use conjoined magic?" asked Remus.

Lily nodded. "Yes, only it's much, much stronger with him. I can almost taste the desire to perform more complex magic with him. Lifting feathers and books and cleaning up after the party Friday night are nothing to what I feel we could do together."

James leaned over from where he was practicing with Peter. "We can practice anytime, sweetheart," he said with a wink.

Lily put down her wand. "Alright, what did you four do?"

James smiled. "I assure you, everything is wonderful."

"That is not what I asked, Potter. Why does Peter look guilty?"

Peter looked between James and Lily, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find an excuse.

"Remus, please give me some good news," said Lily.

Remus played with the feather in front of them. "Lily, you'll like it. I promise."

The bell rang signaling the end of class. Lily slowly packed up her belongings and waited for the room to clear out.

"Ready to talk to Flitwick?" asked James.

Lily nodded and fell in step with James. The two approached Flitwick's desk, surprising him and causing the stack of books he was sitting on to topple over.

"Oh, dear me. Mister Potter and Miss Evans. What can I do for you today?" asked Flitwick from his newly found seat on the floor.

James joined the professor on the floor. "You see, Professor, Lily and I have some questions about conjoined magic."

Lily lowered herself to their level. "It seems, sir, that whatever we are doing has not been documented. Or if it has, we can't find any record of it."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Miss Evans. You and Mister Potter perform wonderful magic together. Though a connection like yours is rare, it is a beautiful thing that has indeed been documented."

Lily tried again. "Professor, we've read all the materials in the library about conjoined magic, but our magic differs from those accounts." Lily glanced at James before continuing. "There's this pull that dictates what we are going to do next. We both feel it. I don't need to tell Potter—James—what spell I'm going to do next because he instinctively knows."

"That becomes quite common with couples who have been working together for lengths of time."

"Professor," said James, "I don't think you're grasping the severity of the situation. There's more to it than a good connection, a strong pull, and knowing your partner. Would you mind if we gave you a demonstration?"

Professor Flitwick looked up at the two students. "No, no, not at all. Please, I always enjoy magic being performed by talented witches and wizards. And I do have to say; the two of you are in the top of your class. Plus, it will show me how much you've practiced over the weekend." He clapped his hands as he looked expectantly at James and Lily with a large grin on his face.

Lily and James stood up, their wands held tightly in their right hands. Lily looked apprehensively at James at first, and then nodded her head. A sudden gust of wind burst into the classroom, causing papers and quills to fly into the air. James closed his eyes and the desks and chairs joined the other objects in a cyclone circling the room. Lily could feel James' power surge through her, and she added her magic to his as Professor Flitwick was carried into the air.

As suddenly as they had started it, Lily and James brought the room back to order.

Flitwick returned to his original position atop of books balancing on his chair behind the desk. "Oh, dear," he said. His normally rosy cheeks were devoid of any color.

"Is something the matter, Professor? We didn't hurt you, did we?" asked Lily.

"No, no. I am quite well, I assure you." Flitwick jumped down from his seat and began rifling through the books he was sitting on top of. "This power that goes through the two of you, does it happen often?" he asked.

"Whenever we perform conjoined magic, Professor. That's why we wanted to speak with you. We can't find any information about it," said James.

Flitwick went from the stack of books on his chair to the piles next to his desk. "What about at other times, Mister Potter? Can you feel Miss Evan's power when you're not performing magic together?"

James looked away from Lily as he answered. "Only recently, Professor. And the feeling seems to be getting stronger."

"And you Miss Evans? Can you feel the power of Mister Potter?"

Lily looked between James and Flitwick. "No. Only when we use our magic."

Flitwick stopped his search. "Oh, dear me. This could be a problem."

"Please, sir," said Lily, "we need to know what's going on."

"I have to do a bit of research, but it seems that you have unknowingly bound yourselves together, but if you cannot feel Mister Potter's power, then you are not fully bound." Flitwick returned his frantic search of the books in his classroom. "Yes, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced I am right. I should have seen it coming. The two of you share more than a simple magical connection. It is much stronger than any of us could ever have predicted."

"Who is 'any of us', Professor?" asked James.

"Why myself and the other professors, of course. We have been carefully watching your relationship develop throughout the years, and I must say, we did not expect this." Flitwick turned and walked to the other side of the room, books magically trailing behind him. "Have you performed anything out of the ordinary? Any unusual charms or incantations with each other?"

James shook is head. "I don't think so."

"No, that wouldn't cause it anyway. Have your emotions been off recently?" He waved his hand, indicating they didn't have to answer. "Never mind, you're teenagers, of course your emotions are off." He paused, turned, and stared at Lily. "Have your feelings towards each other changed at all since the beginning of the school year?"

Lily felt a blush grow on her cheeks as Flitwick continued to focus his attention only on her. "I don't see how that would affect how our magic works together."

"Of course it matters," said Flitwick, the pitch of his voice rising as tried to explain. "Miss Evans, I would think with your strong inclination towards Charms you would recognize the various ways emotions play in the performance of the charm. If your feelings towards Mister Potter have grown closer to mirror his feelings towards you, then you may have inadvertently, albeit weakly, magically bound yourselves together."

"Oh, Merlin," said James.

"Not to worry. With a bit of extra help, and a lot of practice, the two of you will do wonderful things together. Wonderfully magical things. If you'll forgive me, I must speak with the Headmaster immediately. These should help explain things." Professor Flitwick levitated three books towards James and Lily. "Don't worry. Though it is a bit frightening, it is much more exciting than that."

They watched as Professor Flitwick skipped out of the classroom. "This could be a problem," said James.

"It's more than a problem, Potter," Lily said as she gathered her things and ran out of the classroom.

"Lily. Hey, Lily," James shouted as he chased after her.

Lily picked up her pace, purposely trying to avoid James.

"Lily." James reached out and grabbed Lily's arm, forcing her to stop in the middle of the empty corridor.

"What, Potter?"

James released her arm. "Don't be like that, Lily," he said.

"Like what?"

"Don't return to this stiff formality with me, Lily. Yesterday you wanted to marry me, but today you have trouble saying my name."

"He's right, you know. There is a power there, and it is strong. I don't know if I can do this, Potter." Lily shook as she spoke. Her fear of the connection forever linking the two of them manifesting in the distance she now forced between her and James.

"You heard him, Lily. We can harness it. It's not the death sentence you're making it out to be." James took a step closer but stopped as Lily moved backward.

"I need some time, James," she whispered.

James watched as Lily ran from him. His heart beat rapidly as Lily's confusion, anger, and fear thread themselves through his body.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 10**

Lily was overly quiet Tuesday morning as James sat across from her in the Great Hall. They were the only seventh year Gryffindors at breakfast, having escaped the dorms before their friends could barrage them with more questions.

"I stayed up reading one of the books Flitwick gave us," said James. "I think you'd understand more of what's going on if you read it."

Lily looked up from the Defense Against the Dark Arts text in front of her. "I have other reading materials to occupy my time, thank you."

James continued as though Lily hadn't spoken. "It's quite interesting. There are only three other documented cases similar to ours. It is so rare because the powerful drawl needed between couples is almost never experienced. Or if it is present, the emotions aren't shared equally between both partners."

Lily kept her head down in the appearance of ignoring James while she was actually watching him through her eyelashes as he filled his plate with breakfast. She listened intently. Though she wanted to know the details behind their predicament, she was afraid that reading about it would make it too real.

"As we have shown with our use of conjoined magic, our powers work well together. And you know my feelings for you have only grown stronger in the past seven years. I can only assume that your feelings for me are beginning to mirror mine for you; otherwise, this magical pull to combine our powers wouldn't exist." James stared at Lily until she raised her eyes to his. "It's not as bad as you want it to be. We can control it."

"How can I control what I don't understand?"

"Mister Potter, Miss Evans."

"Good morning, Professor," James said as Professor McGonagall approached the Head Boy and Girl.

"I have been informed of your situation, and would like to see the two of you after Transfiguration, during your morning break."

"Yes, Professor," said James.

Lily nodded her assent before returning her attention to the text in front of her.

James waited until McGonagall was out of earshot before continuing their conversation. "The book I read last night, _Unknowingly Bound_, goes into a personal account of the first documented couple to experience this phenomenon. They bound themselves together unknowingly in the late 900s, and when they went to be bound in marriage to other people, the marriage bounds were rejected because of their power bindings. It took ages for their families to understand what happened."

"What eventually happened to them?" Lily asked.

"They married each other, and learned to harness their powers to work most productively."

"So we would need to marry to fulfill the law and not harm other people," Lily said.

James scratched his head. "I don't really know. We should wait until we talk to McGonagall before we go jumping to conclusions."

Lily nodded and then waved at their friends after she spotted them waiting in the doorway to the Great Hall. "I think they're afraid of us."

James smiled. "No, they're just worried about us. But we'll be alright."

"What about not jumping to conclusions?"

"I'm not jumping. We have no reason to believe that we can't work with this and use it to our advantage."

"From my point of view, it works to your advantage, not mine."

James quickly reached across the table and squeezed Lily's hand. His voice was low to prevent their friends, who were quickly approaching the table, from hearing. "I don't see this as a 'you versus me' situation. It's about us, and how we need to work together. So it's not my advantage, it's ours." James pulled away as Sirius slid into the seat next to him.

"Well, it looks like our friends have some explaining to do," said Sirius.

"Not now, Padfoot," James said, narrowing his eyes at Sirius to prevent any further inquiry.

Sirius ignored James' stare, but his eyes caught Remus' across the table. "Fine, but I'll let you know that we are worried, and want to know what is going on. We don't appreciate our questions being ignored, and if we don't find out soon, the Head Boy and Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will have a bit of a riot to control." He looked at Lily and smiled. "Please pass the sausages."

Lily closed her Defense textbook and watched as her friends began to pile food on their plates. They were interrupted as the Owl Post made its morning arrival.

"Hey, Lils. Isn't that your owl?" asked Dorcas.

Lily petted Vita when she landed on the table. "It's from my parents."

"Are they keen on setting you up with the nice wizard who lives next door?" Sirius asked mockingly.

"Actually, I haven't told them about the marriage law yet."

"Lily, you need to tell them. Don't you think they'll be suspicious come January when you marry?" Remus fed Vita bits of sausage from his plate as he relayed his concerns to Lily.

"I know. But with my sister's wedding coming up, I thought it would be best to wait as long as possible." Lily ripped open the letter.

_Our dearest Lily, _

_We hope everything is well. It has been ages since we've heard from you. Are you studying hard? We understand that this is an important year for you, but please, we enjoy hearing from you, no matter how briefly. _

_Your sister's wedding plans are coming along nicely. You will have your final fitting for the bridesmaid dress during your Christmas break, and then everything should be ready for the wedding during your Easter vacation. It is so great that it is all working out swimmingly. _

_And we talked to your sister, dear. She continues to wish that you keep your talents hidden from the Dursley's, and unfortunately Vernon shares her sentiments. Please, just this once, follow her wishes. It will only be for a few days. We want everything to go smoothly. _

_Our strongest love, _

_Mum and Dad_

Lily refolded the letter and returned her attention to her friends.

"What did they have to say?" asked Marlene.

"Just some stuff about my sister's wedding." Lily tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"When's the wedding?" asked Peter between mouthfuls of bacon and eggs.

"The beginning of April, during our Easter break."

"So you'll get to bring your husband with you," Peter commented.

Lily paled. "I never thought of that," she said.

"Were you going to get married and then try to hide it from your family, Lily?" asked James.

"I just didn't think—"

"Oi, we need to get moving or we'll be late for Transfiguration," said Sirius.

Everyone except Lily and James stood and moved towards the doors.

"Don't ever try to hide who you are, Lily," said James, "you're much too special for that."

"I'm not hiding anything, Potter," Lily said as she gathered her books and left the table.

James fell in step next to her. "You are hiding, Lily. And I think you need to face reality."

Lily stopped short. "Do you think that maybe reality is a bit difficult for me at the moment." Her voice rose as she twisted James to face her. "We're less than three weeks into the school year and my life has been turned upside down. Not only do I have to study for N.E.W.T.s and prepare for a career outside of Hogwarts, but I also have to handle the duties of Head Girl. Plus, I have to shield my family from the horrors of the wizarding war we're in. They don't need to die because of my 'talents'. Then, I'm told I have to marry someone I don't love within four months. And to top it all, I share some freak power with you, whom I've loathed since our first year, that I don't understand and am now forced to try to control it. I think I may need a break from reality for the moment, but if I do that, we'll be late for Transfiguration." With that, Lily turned and marched out of the Great Hall, leaving a stunned James in her wake.

"Lily," Alice called out from the large doorway.

Lily pushed past her friends and continued in a light run to Professor McGonagall's classroom where she finally paused to breathe.

"I heard your little demonstration," said Snape as he walked towards Lily from behind.

"You wouldn't have been the only one," Lily replied. The classroom was empty save the two of them. Lily glanced nervously at the door.

"You know I could help you with some of your problems. I have ways of protecting your family."

"I would hope you would protect my family because you are a good person, Severus, not because of the mark on your arm."

"You don't know—"

Lily whipped around to face Snape. "How long are you going to deny what I know to be true? I hear the whispers; I see who you hang around. Just because the more evil of your comrades are no longer here to draw attention to the growing power of Voldemort doesn't mean the other students aren't aware of his minions."

"You have no right saying his name," Snape snarled.

"I dare you to say it. Say it, Severus. Voldemort."

Snape stood still, his teeth clenching as he seethed from Lily's bravado.

"I feel sad for you. He doesn't frighten me like he does you."

"You know nothing," said Snape from between clenched teeth. "You should be scared. You, Potter, and your friends. There will be no saving you if you continue this path you're on."

Lily slammed her books on the desk. "Come off it, Severus. The bad guys won't win forever. They never do. Good will triumph."

"So you think. But how many will die in the process, Lily? Will you die to save your family? Your friends? What about your precious Potter?"

Lily's face turned pink at the mention of James. "Leave them out of this."

"Is everything alright?" asked James from the doorway. He had been listening from the hallway, but could no longer hide as Snape increased his mental pressure on Lily.

Lily's blush went deeper. "Everything's fine. Thank you." She turned and sat at her desk, her breathing returning to normal as Alice sat next to her.

While James normally enjoyed Transfiguration, he was distracted. He kept glancing at Lily as she practiced turning a feather into a pillow.

"Hey, James, are you in there?" Remus waved his hand in front of James' face.

"She's scared."

Remus nodded. "You need to make her understand that what you share is not something to be afraid of. Because the moment she hesitates because of her insecurities, something seriously wrong will happen."

"You read one of the books."

Remus looked around the room. Seeing McGonagall with a group of Hufflepuffs, he continued. "You left them out last night. The two of you need to be in sync with each other; otherwise, it's an open ground for destruction."

"Will you talk to her, tell her this?"

Remus shook his head. "This is for the two of you to figure out. I have enough of my own problems to sort out."

James flicked his wand at is feather, turning it into a double stuffed, goose-down pillow. "Have you talked to him yet?"

Remus kept his head down, refusing to look at the man who had been staring at him for the past thirty minutes. "I don't know what either of us would say that hasn't already been said."

"You could start with 'I'm sorry'."

"I don't know if I am."

"Remus, the two of you need to have a civilized conversation. Don't run from what feels right."

"Don't you think you should be saying this to our red-headed friend up there?"

James openly stared at Lily. "I will. Give me time."

The bell rang and Remus moved to walk out of the classroom. "Aren't you coming to the library? We could do some additional research on your new situation. I'm sure it will help with Lily," said Remus as James remained seated.

James shook his head. "No, I have a meeting with McGonagall now. I'll meet you in Muggle Studies."

Remus waved and walked out of the classroom with the other students. Within minutes, only Lily and James remained.

With a flick of her wand Professor McGonagall closed the door. "Let's begin, shall we? To start, I need to see how advanced your combined magic is, and determine the threat it poses to others. Please stand and join me up here in the front of the room."

Lily rose reluctantly from her desk. Since their conversation with Flitwick, she had been more aware of her emotions and how James affected them. Also, she was more aware of James. Throughout Transfiguration she could feel his desire to transfigure larger, more complicated objects.

Professor McGonagall laid out various objects in front of Lily and James. "I want to see what you are capable of without restricting you. Do what you will with these objects, but do it together."

James tried to remain calm as he felt Lily's nerves course through him. With a circular motion of his wand, and a downward flick of Lily's, the feather in front of them turned into a Pink Footed Goose. James breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Lily smile.

Next, they turned a Care of Magical Creatures textbook into a bowtruckle, a hand held mirror into a dittany plant, and a few muggle coins into a niffler.

"You have a strange desire for live creatures," commented Lily.

James scratched the back of is head. "You could have changed the way we were going if you wanted."

"I didn't have a strong desire for any one thing, and you did. It felt best to go with your instincts."

Professor McGonagall watched the interaction with interest. The two students in front of her were oddly more comfortable with each other after performing the magic than the moments directly before. "Miss Evans, please describe what you felt as you and Mister Potter worked together."

Lily saw the intensity in McGonagall's eyes and knew she had to be one hundred percent truthful. "I felt drawn to him before you even called us up here. It began during class; I knew that turning a feather into a pillow was mundane to him. He craved something complex."

"Perhaps you heard him saying this to Mister Lupin during class?" asked McGonagall.

Lily shook her head. "No, I couldn't hear him during class. We were too far apart, and there were too many students in between us. But I could feel his magic. It was a quick flick of his wrist and the feather was a pillow, and then back to a feather. It felt easy. And when I transfigured my feather into a pillow, I felt as though I was taking James' ease with transfiguration and using it to help my magic."

"I couldn't feel you then. And I was scared. While I was talking to Remus I could see you working with Alice, but I couldn't feel you and I worried that the connection was lost." James wanted to grab hold of Lily's hand. He wanted to be reassured that she hadn't reverted back to her hatred of him.

Lily shook her head, her long hair swaying back and forth.

McGonagall stood back and let James and Lily communicate their insecurities with each other. As the conversation turned from magic to emotion, she noted the expressions on each student's face. Lily kept her head slightly bent, her hair swishing with each movement, and a slight smile on her lips. James continuously ran his hands through his hair and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. The tips of his ears were pink, but his teeth glowed with each quick smile.

McGonagall didn't need to ask whether Lily's feelings for James had evolved into a more reciprocal position, she was witnessing their transformation. Professor Dumbledore would be pleased with the slow development.

As the pair continued to converse, they righted the objects on the desk in front of them, seemingly without thinking about it. Soon, McGonagall was staring at a feather, a Care of Magical Creatures textbook, a hand held mirror, a few muggle coins, and two pairs of slightly embarrassed eyes.

"Well, this has been a rather informative lesson for all of us. You share most of your classes, correct?"

James nodded. "All but one. Muggle Studies for me and Arithmacy for Lily."

"Good. I shall be speaking with your professors, I would like you to work together, as a couple, using conjoined magic whenever possible. I'm sure each individual situation will be different, but it will be a learning experience for all involved."

"That doesn't seem too difficult," said James.

Lily's eyes grew wide, but then softened as she shook her head. "No. It doesn't sound too difficult."

McGonagall softened her features. "Please, sit. There's more."

"Professor, is everything alright?" James asked as he and Lily sat in the proffered chairs.

"There is one book Professor Flitwick purposely failed to give to you. Professor Dumbledore and I have been searching through it for any answers it might give us. It appears that informal power bindings like yours serve a higher purpose."

"What purpose?" asked Lily, her voice shaking with fear.

"It changes each century. Professor Dumbledore and I feel that your binding has to do with the upcoming war. Before now, only Pure Blood witches and wizards had bound themselves together. There has not been a documented case of a Muggle Born being unknowingly bound to anyone. The magic that the two of you share is rare, and should be treated with caution and respect."

McGonagall could see the fear and the desire to run in Lily's eyes. "Do not fear it, my dear," she said as she gently laid her hands over Lily's. "With practice, you will learn the boundaries of the magic you share, and with that knowledge comes a far greater power than Voldemort could ever create."

James' hand itched to hold Lily's in comfort. "Will we be able to see this book, Professor?"

"Yes. I will see that you get it. I recommend that you read the others first, and do your own research outside of those texts Professor Flitwick gave you. Become familiar with the other situations and how those couples learned to use their magic together. Only then will you be able to understand the other book.

"If you have no more questions, then you are dismissed. If you would like, I can excuse you from the rest of you classes today."

Lily shook her head. "Thank you, Professor, but that won't be necessary. We need to learn how to act together in all capacities, and we should start now."

James reached out and grabbed Lily's hand in his. He felt her give a tiny squeeze. "We'll start on the other books, Professor, and we'll let you know when we're ready for the other one."

Professor McGonagall watched as the two students stood and walked out of her classroom, their hands firmly clasped between them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 11**

Alice groaned in frustration. "I have nothing to wear."

Lily glanced up from her position on Alice's bed. She was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a light sweater. "I'm sure whatever you wear will be fine, Alice. Frank's not going to un-ask you to marry him."

Alice sighed in exasperation. "That's easy for you to say. You see the man of your dreams every day. I haven't seen mine in two weeks."

"What did you wear last time?" Lily asked.

Alice blushed. "I can't remember."

Lily laughed. "You can't remember what you were wearing the day Frank asked you to marry him? How scandalous."

Alice continued to rifle through her belongings. "I know, and I'll never forgive myself if I wear the same thing twice. Maybe I should label my clothing with the dates that I wear them, then I wouldn't run into this problem every time I see Frank."

Lily stood and made a quick study of Alice's clothes before picking out a pair of jeans and a top. "Here, wear this. It's cute and simple, and if he comments that he's seen you in it before, tell him the rest of your clothes are in the wash."

"You are a lifesaver."

Lily shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the small mirror next to Alice's wardrobe, searching her face for blemishes. "That's what your maid of honor is here for. It is my job to deflect all major and minor breakdowns into easily solved problems."

Alice smiled slyly as she changed into the outfit Lily picked out.

"What?" asked Lily upon seeing Alice's reflection in the mirror. "Do I have something in my teeth? Tell me now, because it would be really embarrassing to have someone like Black point it out, and you know he would."

Alice laughed as Lily's reflection pulled back its lips to examine its teeth. "Nope. Nothing in your teeth. In fact, you look really good today. I was just thinking that you didn't deny it when I said James was the man of your dreams."

"Oh, so that's who you were talking about. I wasn't sure. I thought it might have been Travis Avairs, or even Peter Pettigrew. But never James Potter." Lily made her way to the full-length mirror the girls shared and nervously fiddled with her hair.

Alice nudged Lily playfully with her shoulder. "You knew I was talking about James. When are you meeting him for your date?"

"It is not a date. It is a mutual agreement to hang out together."

"Sure it is."

"Stop smirking," said Lily. "And I'm meeting him in Hogsmede, outside the Three Broomsticks at one."

"Well then, we better get moving. We have a wedding dress to find before then."

The two girls squealed with delight before gathering their cloaks and purses and heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.

In the boys' dormitory James repeatedly tried to tame his hair with a Hair Smoothing Charm he'd found in a witches' magazine in the library.

"Don't see what all the fuss is about, mate. She knows what you look like," Sirius said from his lounging position on James' bed.

"But today is different," James said. He sighed dejectedly. "Why won't this one piece stay down?"

Remus walked behind James and patted him on the back. "Sirius is right, Prongs. Plus, the more you try to tame it, the more out of control it gets. You'd do best to leave your hair alone."

"I thought we were going shopping with Frank, anyway," said Peter, looking confused.

"We are, Wormtail, but then Prongs has a date with his dream girl," Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows as he mentioned Lily.

"It's not a date, Padfoot."

Remus paused his search through his belongings to stare at James. "It is so a date," he said, "and no amount of rationalizing from either you or Lily is going to change that fact."

James sat wearily next to Sirius on the bed. "You're right, it is a date. I've never been so nervous for a date before."

"Well, you never dated Lily before," said Peter.

"And dating the girl you've been chasing for six years is bound to put a few nerves in you," said Remus.

"Oi, Moony, what are you looking for?" asked Sirius as Remus began to carefully unload his trunk onto the floor.

"My History of Magic textbook."

"Check my trunk," said Sirius. He watched Remus as the werewolf reverently knelt at Sirius' trunk, opened its lid, and carefully searched through its contents.

"Ah, here it is. I forgot I placed it in here when we were packing. Thanks."

Sirius nodded. "No problem," he whispered.

"Are you going to be telling Frank about you and Lily?" asked Peter.

"Technically it's not a date, so I have nothing to tell him," said James.

"What about your binding?" asked Remus.

"What binding?" Sirius sat up, almost pushing James off the bed.

James glared at Remus.

"Sorry, mate. I thought you told them," said Remus with a shrug of his shoulders.

James sighed. "It looks like Lily and I inadvertently bound ourselves together."

"That's impossible," said Peter.

James shook his head. "No, it's not. Flitwick suspected it, and McGonagall confirmed it. Our conjoined magic is stronger than it should be, and we got worried when we couldn't find anything in the library about what we were experiencing. When Lily and I showed them what we were capable of without any instruction, they got worried."

"I don't blame them. Do you know what happens when teenagers are bound together? There's a reason it's not practiced anymore," said Sirius.

James nodded. "I know. But I don't think Lily understands that yet. She will though, it's bound to be in one of the books Flitwick let us borrow. Plus, she's been in the library doing cross reference checks nonstop since Tuesday."

"Why isn't it practiced?" asked Peter, looked between the other three boys in the room.

Sirius rolled his eyes and dropped his head back down to the pillow. "Merlin, you're incompetent," he said.

"Be nice," admonished Remus before turning his attention to Peter. "The younger you are, the more emotive you can be. And a young witch and wizard are never the best at hiding their emotions, especially negative ones." Remus glanced quickly at Sirius before continuing. "If those emotions become volatile, then those around the bound couple can be in danger. If the magic is strong between them, then they risk forcing it out of themselves and projecting it onto others, usually dangerously. Many witches and wizards have died because of the hazardous magic flowing through a bound couple."

"Kind of like when Lily and James fought in our fifth year. Four students ended up in the infirmary," Peter said.

"Not really. That was done with physical magic, and it was an accident that hasn't happened since. This is different. You really need to experience it to understand it," said James. "I can feel Lily right now. She's happy, excited, and a little bit nervous. But she's not doing any magic right now. When she does, I know what charm, hex, or spell she's performing, and if she achieved her desired results. And when we work together, well, that's something else entirely. It's like we're no longer two separate people, but working as one entity towards a common goal. And it's powerful. And scary."

"Does Dumbledore know?" Peter asked.

"We met with Dumbledore yesterday. He said there was always an aura about us when we were together, especially when we were arguing, which was always. But now, it's brighter, stronger, and makes him frightful of what is to come."

"You didn't tell me that," said Remus.

James shrugged his shoulders. "Dumbledore said not to worry about it yet. And if he's not worried, then we shouldn't be worried."

"Are you sure he's not worried?"

James shook his head. "No. And that worries me even more."

Remus nodded and continued his perusal of the text on his lab. James once again stood and returned to the mirror.

Sirius watched Remus with interest. "You haven't used your History of Magic textbook in over a year, what could you need with it now? And on a Hogsmede Saturday? Today is a day of rest and play, not work."

Remus held up his finger to hold off further questioning while he continued reading. "I thought so," he said.

Sirius shook his head and closed his eyes in frustration.

"You thought what?" asked Peter, intent on staying in the loop.

"The rains of 1322 coincide with one of the couples I've read about. They were young, our age, and he died in a duel. Her grief was so strong that she died less than a year later of a broken heart. But I didn't put it all together until this morning. In 1322, it rained for seven straight months, and no one could figure our why. Some days were just a drizzle, others were hard downpours, and even angry thunderstorms. And just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. But it all fits. The rains started the day this boy died, and stopped when she died."

"Her emotions changed the weather," said Peter. "Can you do that, James?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." James glanced at the clock. "We should go if we want breakfast before we leave for Hogsmede. And let's not forget we have to meet Frank in an hour."

The four boys laughed and hollered as they left their dormitory and made for the Great Hall.

**LJLJLJLJ**

"It's only five of one, are you sure you don't want me to wait with you?" Alice asked as she and Lily approached the Three Broomsticks.

Lily shook her head. "No, thanks though. I know you want to find Frank, and if you stay by my side any longer I'm not going to want to let you go."

Alice squeezed Lily's hand in her own. "Good luck," she whispered, "I want details tonight."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Go. Find your husband-to-be and make mushy eyes over Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizbees."

Lily watched as Alice turned towards Honeydukes, her and Frank's preferred meeting spot. The two girls had spent the morning with Marlene and Dorcas searching through Gladrags Wizardwear for the perfect wedding dress. The clothier had recently bulked up on wedding attire because of the new law, and Lily, Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas found the selection overwhelming and exciting. The girls found the perfect dress for Alice, white, very simple, with a bit of lace. Lily's bridesmaid dress, however, had to be specially ordered. Alice wanted Lily in green, to match her eyes, and none of the dresses on display carried the exact shade required.

It was all so simple for Alice and Frank, Lily thought. The two had been half in love with each other since Alice was sorted into Gryffindor and sat next to Frank at the long table in the Great Hall. In the girls' dorm room later that night, Alice could talk of nothing but the boy with the ears that stuck out a bit too much.

It was a comfort for Lily to know that two people could be so well matched. Where Alice was serious and practical, Frank was goofy and adventurous. Alice examined and processed before she came to a conclusion while Frank took things at face value. Yet despite their differences, they were both easily excitable and found happiness in small things, like the first flower in spring or the look of each other's handwriting. They were a unique balance that Lily envied.

"You look deep in thought," James said, startling Lily out of her reverie.

Unconsciously, the corners of Lily's lips moved upwards as she took in James appearance. The jeans, long sleeve tee shirt, and sneakers were simple, uncomplicated, and he was completely at ease in them. Then there was the glasses, the smirk of a smile, and the messy dark hair moving with the wind. Lily shook her head as she felt her cheeks turn pink. "I was just thinking that I would never have been able to fall so completely in love when I was eleven, and have it stick six years later."

"Ah, Frank and Alice," James said as he glanced towards Honeydukes. "So this means you weren't in love with me when we were eleven?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter. And don't try to tell me you loved me back then."

"It wouldn't be a lie," James said.

"Maybe not, but it wouldn't be the complete truth either."

James nodded as he ushered Lily into the Three Broomsticks. The change from light to dark was disconcerting and both squinted as their eyes adjusted to the difference.

"You are right," James said after he found them a quiet table in the back of the room. "The love I had for you at eleven is not the love I have for you now. And neither love is the same as Frank and Alice's."

"They have something special," Lily said.

James nodded in agreement. "They do, but so do we, Lily. Don't roll your eyes; you know it's true." He sighed at Lily's look of uncertain disdain. "Fine, be that way. I'll get us some drinks while you wallow in your thoughts of how undeserving I am of you."

Lily wanted to say something, to make James sit back down, to tell him he was wrong. But she couldn't find the right words. It wasn't that she didn't like James, because she did. She found him handsome, and she enjoyed the time she spent with him.

But there was more. There was always more when it came to James Potter. Lily tried avoiding him, mocking him, and even changing him, but nothing worked. There was an attraction between them, there always was. And if Dumbledore was correct, their attraction for each other finally coalesced and formed an intimate connection. It frightened her.

"Look, I think we got our singles mixed somewhere along the line," Lily said as James returned to their table.

James took in Lily's nervous appearance and bit back a sigh. "What line?" he asked, his voice quiet and steady as he questioned Lily's thoughts. "The line that started this morning at breakfast where you were full of light and a little bit flirty, the line that goes back twenty minutes to when this conversation started? Or are we going further back in time? What about the line that began three weeks ago at the start of the term? Or how about the line I'd like to think you're talking about—the one that starts on the train six years ago? Which line did we mess up?"

Lily looked lost. Her eyes were wide and she swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

James shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have said everything that's floating through my mind like that. You should drink your butterbeer, don't let it go to waste."

Lily took a sip of the frothy liquid and watched James as she used their connection to feel his emotions. He was scared, and that confused her. More than that, there was a sadness surrounding him, and when she glanced outside, she saw that the clear sky from earlier had darkened, and a slight drizzle had started.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lily said.

James shook his head. "You didn't upset me, Lily. You make me feel a lot of things, but upset is not one of them."

She reached across the table and entwined their fingers together. "Then tell me, what are you feeling that's causing it to rain outside? Is it disappointment? Anger? Frustration? What?"

James glanced out the window and then at their hands joined in the center of the table.

"I made the connection last night after our rounds. Our emotions have the ability to do harm, to do good, and yes, on occasion to change the weather. I know your feelings for me are strong, stronger than I'm comfortable with. I know your emotions right now are the cause of the rain, and, consequently, I know I caused those emotions. So what are you feeling right now? Why is it raining?"

"I knew you'd find the link, you're too clever not to, but I didn't think it'd be this quickly. Hell, Remus just figured it out this morning and he's been doing about as much research as you have. But I have to admit, our magic must be more powerful than I thought if we can change the weather like this."

"James, stop trying to distract me. Why is it raining?"

James gently rubbed Lily's fingers between his. "I feel lost, like I had you one minute and the next you were gone. We've been working together all week, and we were doing so well. Yes, you're scared. I understand that. But you're understanding more, and learning more, and that makes me feel as though you're accepting our bound status more. But then here, now, it was like all that we've been working towards this week disappeared with one conversation about love. Because Frank and Alice love each other in a different way than we love each other.

"Lily, we can't limit ourselves to any one definition of love. Look at Sirius and Remus—their relationship is based on more than caring for each other through a difficult time. And the way they're dealing with everything right now is messed up, but the love is still there. And what's more, it's not the same love that we have.

"I can't bear to lose you, Lily. And just thinking that in a matter of hours you went from flirty to scared has me unbalanced. That's why it's raining right now."

Lily leaned forward and gently placed her lips on the corner of James' mouth.

"I think you missed," he said as Lily pulled back.

"No, I didn't. I may not be ready for everything like you are, but I can take small, comfortable steps." She squeezed his hand gently. "I like you, James. And yes, I'm scared. And all the talk of weddings and vows and flower arrangements with Alice and the girls had me more frightened than I wanted to admit. But I'm not afraid of you or what we have. I'm working on it and I think I'm doing a pretty good job considering the circumstances." She reached out with her other hand and allowed her fingers to flit down James' cheek. "I don't want you to feel lost."

"I'm feeling a little less lost right now," said James as he reached up to capture Lily's hand in his.

"Does this mean the sun will be shining for our walk back to the castle?" asked Lily.

"I think that can be arranged."

The two continued flirting as the barmaid brought out their lunch.

Their afternoon remained pleasant, and when Remus saw the two of them he shook his head at the thought that either could deny they were on a date.

On their way back to Hogwarts, Lily grew nervous again. "James, I don't know if I can love you the way you want me to."

James spoke quietly and reassuringly. "That's ok. I can live with you not knowing right now. You're thinking about it, and that's a good thing. Plus, the fact that you're holding my hand as we walk back to the castle after our first date makes everything else irrelevant."

Lily squeezed James' hand gently and her lips pulled up in a smile. "What makes you think this was a date?" she asked.

"For starters, there was a planned time and place to meet."

"We met in the dungeons last weekend to work on our Potions' homework. That was a planned time and place, and that wasn't a date," Lily countered.

"Yes, but this time we had food and drinks in a comfortable setting."

Lily nodded. "Ah, yes. But we often eat together in the Great Hall, and I consider that a comfortable setting."

James casually pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Very true, but this time there was also stimulating conversation."

"Are you suggesting that all other conversations with me aren't stimulating? I think that's borderline insulting."

James smirked as he continued. "There is always the issue of the missed kiss," he said.

Lily squeezed James' hand as they approached the front door of the castle. "I already told you, I didn't miss. My lips found the exact spot they wanted to taste."

"And did they enjoy their brief taste?"

"I think that question would be better answered on another day, Potter," Lily said as she turned to look at James.

They were paused on the steps of the castle. "Will you allow me to walk you to your door, Lily?" James asked.

Lily shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise."

"Who says we have to do what is wise?"

Lily squeezed James hand in comfort. "I'm going to say good-bye here, James. And hope you do the same and give me a few minutes head start back to the dormitory. And we'll eat dinner with our friends in the Great Hall, and then talk and laugh with them in the common room before our rounds, where we'll do our duty as Head Boy and Girl to protect the other students."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I plan on watching Quidditch practice, where this really cute, funny boy is the captain of the team."

James smirked. "That really cute, funny boy wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"

"Good-bye, James," said Lily with a flirty smile. She gave James' hand one final squeeze before turning to enter the castle.

James took a few deep breaths, allowing Lily her desired head start before following her to Gryffindor Tower.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 12**

"So?" asked Marlene as Lily and Alice sat across from her and Dorcas in the Great Hall for breakfast Sunday morning.

"So?" Lily repeated as she reached for the toast.

"You're going to make us drag it out of you, aren't you?" Dorcas was leaning her elbows against the table, forcing her upper body forward so she could hear everything she wanted Lily to say.

Lily smiled coyly. "I'm afraid I don't know what you two are going on about."

"You came in the dorm yesterday before dinner and distracted me by asking about my date with Dennis," said Marlene.

"Oh, did something else happen? Have you spoken with him yet today? It seemed like you two enjoyed yourselves yesterday, it would be a shame if something dreadful happened so soon afterward," Lily said, buttering her toast.

Alice hid a laugh behind her glass of orange juice as Marlene's eyes grew wider.

"No, nothing else has happened since last night," said Marlene.

Dorcas huffed impatiently. "And then, during dinner, you proceeded to do nothing but talk about Alice's plans for the wedding," she said.

"Those plans are still good, right? I know things change so quickly; I wouldn't want to be the last to know if something was altered, especially since I am the maid of honor," said Lily.

Alice shook her head. "No, nothing's changed since last night. Although I was thinking about changing the flowers to something more in season."

"That might work better," said Lily. "Right now you'll have an awful time finding vegetation out of season. You know what you should do? Check out the greenhouses. I'm sure there's something in there that you'll just love."

"Oh, I never thought of that. We should check it out after breakfast," replied Alice.

"I can't after breakfast, I have plans. What about tomorrow after classes? I have time then."

"That sounds great."

"Stop this right now, you two," said Dorcas. "I might not want to find a husband, but I sure as hell want to hear about your quest for one. So spill, Lily. I want the details of your date with Potter, and I want them now."

Marlene nodded her agreement with Dorcas' statement. "Yes. Details, now."

"Well you needn't be so pushy about it. All you had to do was ask," said Lily.

"All I had to do was ask? You're kidding, right?" Dorcas eyes were wide as she fought the urge to pull Lily's hair.

"Ow," Marlene cried out.

The other girls turned their attention to Marlene. "Are you alright?" asked Lily.

Marlene nodded. "I think so."

"What happened?" asked Alice.

"I think someone threw this at my head." Marlene was holding a small, smooth, red gemstone.

"Is that a ruby?" Dorcas asked as she grabbed the stone from Marlene's hand. "I think it is. And it looks like a princess cut one at that."

Alice reached across the table for the jewel. "And how would you know about jewelry cuts?"

Dorcas shrugged her shoulders. "It's been engraved in my brain since I was little."

"Ow," Marlene exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head. This time, a deep blue gem fell to the table.

Dorcas picked it up to examine it. "Looks like a radiant cut sapphire."

Lily held her hand out for the glittering gem. "They're both beautiful. But where are they coming from?"

"I don't…Ow! Ok, This needs to stop."

"An oval cut emerald, and a marquise cut amethyst. Nice."

"Yeah, great. I just wish they'd stop hitting me in the head," said Marlene.

"Now, now," said Sirius as he approach the girls, "Is that any way to treat a well-thought out birthday present?"

"Throwing rocks at my head is well thought out?" asked Marlene.

"Not just rocks," said Peter as he approached the girls with James and Remus behind him, "precious stones for Miss Stone on her very important birthday."

"My idea, of course," said Sirius as he sat between Marlene and Dorcas. "And the best part? They're actually a hard candy with a fruity burst liquid core." Sirius grabbed the emerald off the table and placed it in his mouth. "Mmm. Sour apple. You did good Remus."

Remus and James sat flanking Lily and Alice on the opposite side of the table.

Dorcas sighed. "You four are exasperating. Now we'll never find out how the date went."

"But we brought candy," said Peter as he held out a paper bag filled with more candied gemstones.

Lily reached across the table and grabbed a ruby. "Are there specific flavors, or are they charmed to be flavored according to the tasters choosing?" she asked.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Sirius cried out.

Remus chuckled. "The rubies are cherry, the amethysts are grape, sapphires blueberry, emeralds sour apple, topaz are orange flavored, and diamonds mint flavored."

Lily popped the cherry flavored ruby in her mouth. "You did good, Remus."

"What makes you think Remus did all the work?" asked James as he reached for a diamond.

"Because I know you four so well," replied Lily. "And happy birthday, Marlene. The rest of us have a few things for you upstairs. We thought better than to pelt you with our gifts so early in the morning."

Marlene smiled at Lily, and then glared at the boys. "It's not that I don't appreciate presents on my birthday, gentlemen, but if my boyfriend finds out you hit me with them, there might be consequences to your actions."

"Boyfriend? Does this mean you and McKinnon are serious?" asked Peter.

"Oh course they're serious, dip wad. Anyone over the age of seventeen is not going to waste their time dating someone they're not serious about," said Sirius. His gaze locked firmly on Remus' blushing features. "With everything that's going on outside of Hogwarts, we can't risk not being serious."

Marlene glanced between Sirius and Remus. "Yes, well, thank you for the candy. It was a well thought out gift, even if was given unconventionally. But if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go spend some time with my very serious boyfriend before he plants himself in the Quidditch stadium rating the competition." Marlene stood and looked at Lily. "And I will have details about that date."

Lily nodded. "After dinner. I'll tell you everything."

Dorcas smirked. "I thought it was wasn't a date but a mutual agreement to hang out?"

Lily sat up straighter on the bench as her cheeks grew warm. "Tonight. After dinner."

**LJLJLJLJLJ**

Remus watched as Lily approached him on the stands of the Quidditch field later that morning. "I didn't realize today was an open practice," he said jokingly once Lily was in earshot.

"I didn't realize any practice was off limits from spectators," Lily retorted with a smile.

"Only right before the Quidditch Cup finals." Remus took in Lily's appearance, comfortable and collected in a pair of well worn jeans and hand knit sweater with a just a slight hint of nerves radiating off her. "Come, sit with me. Practice is about to start."

Lily graciously took the seat next to Remus. "You do know I'm going to have tons of questions about what's going on out there, right?" Lily said as she pointed to the field where a few players were already in the air adjusting to the winds that blew in unexpectedly the previous evening.

"I wouldn't be one of James Potter's closest friends if I didn't have the answers to your questions."

The sound of a whistle brought Lily's attention to the center of the Quidditch pitch. James stood on the ground, his broom held in his right hand, gathering the Gryffindor team together for a quick outline of that day's practice goals.

"Right now," said Remus, "he's telling them he wants to focus on the team's beaters. There's a new kid on the team who has a lot of potential and James wants to see how far he can push the boy."

"How far he can push him? Won't that damage the kid's psyche and ruin him for the team?" Lily asked.

Remus shook his head. "It shouldn't. And if it does, then he's not the right replacement for Sirius."

Lily nodded as she watched the players mount their brooms and take to the air. "He's thinking about the future," Lily mused, "the players that are going to take his place."

"He's been working Abbott, the keeper, for the Captain spot next year. He plans to talk to McGonagall about it before the season ends. He's built himself a solid team, and Gryffindor should be set for at least the next two years, three or four if they find a decent keeper to replace Abbott in two years."

"I didn't know so much had to be planned ahead."

Remus watched as the team flew in the air. "It doesn't have to, but it doesn't hurt either." Remus took notes on the new beater in the notebook balanced on his lap as he watched. Subconsciously he compared the boy the Sirius. While the strength wasn't there yet, the desire to conquer was. "He's good," Remus commented under his breath.

"What about him?" Lily jutted her chin towards Sirius as he flew by, whacking a bludger the opposite direction as he passed.

"Is that why you're really here, Lily?"

Lily closed her eyes. She could feel the pain in Remus' voice and ached to sooth his wounds. "You're hurting, Remus. And I wouldn't be a friend if I didn't recognize your pain and try to fix it."

Remus refused to look at Lily. Instead, his eyes followed the players around the pitch.

"Have you spoken to him?" Lily asked.

"I speak to him every day." Remus' voice was low and raspy.

"You know what I mean."

Remus shook his head. "No. I don't think anything more can be said."

"It's been over a week, Remus. You've both had time to cool off. Why don't you try again?"

"Is this coming from personal experience?" Remus' tone was bitter, forcing Lily to wince at its implication.

"It's a different situation. I'm not going to pretend I understand what you are feeling right now. And I don't expect you to understand what's changed between James and I. But I still respect you as a friend, and expect you to treat me with the same courtesy you've always had."

A faint blush darkened Remus' cheeks. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Lily stopped pretending to follow the practice in front of them and turned to face Remus. "Yes, it was. Now when are you going to stop being a prat and talk to me? I'm here, Remus. I'm not going anywhere."

Remus placed the notebook on the bench next to him and turned to meet Lily's gaze. "I've spoken to Dumbledore, and Sirius was right. The wording of the law does not forbid same sex unions because the ministry believes the procreation clause would deter it. We can get married and fulfill the law. It's unheard of, Lily. There are no documented cases of a same sex partnership that consummated the union through marriage. But there's nothing in wizarding law forbidding it either."

"You've put some thought into it."

He nodded. "I have. It will be dangerous. I don't want Sirius to use this thing between us as an excuse not to find a woman and have children, Lily. I know it's only a matter of time before the ministry bans my existence, and I want him to find a way to survive after that. This law could be his way out. If I didn't give him the chance, I would be failing him."

Remus turned to watch the players once more. His eyes automatically found Sirius' form in the air. "I don't want to fail him, Lily."

Lily reached out and brushed her fingertips down Remus' cheek. "By not listening to what he has to say, you're doing just that."

"And what about you? Have you told the girls about you and James?"

Lily continued to stroke Remus' cheek as she contemplated her situation. "Not yet. I plan to, tonight." She pulled her had away from Remus' face. "It's scary. I've been belittling James for six years, and now I'm bound to him. Does that make me a hypocrite? I think Alice has always known that my hatred for James stemmed from my attraction towards him. And maybe Marlene had an inkling, especially in the past few years. But Dorcas? I'm not looking forward to the screaming match that's bound to erupt from my announcement."

"And it will be a screaming match," Remus agreed.

"How do I tell them, Remus? How do I tell my best friends that I'm bound to the man I professed to hate for six years?"

"How did you tell Alice?" asked Remus.

"Like you, she figured it out on her own. She was doing the research on bindings for herself and Frank, to see if it was something they wanted, and she confronted me with the information she found."

"Are her and Frank going to be bound?"

Lily shook her head. "No, they decided it would be safer, especially since he's in Auror training, if they didn't. His fate isn't set in stone once he's on the field, and Alice is thinking of joining the program next year."

"That takes guts, especially for a witch. There aren't many female Aurors."

"She knows, but she wants to try so she and Frank can spend more time together. At least that's the theory she's running with right now. I think she wants to prove her Gryffindor courage."

"You don't need to be an Auror to prove that."

The two sat in comfortable silence watching the practice develop. The new beater, Joshua Bell, was improving with each swing of his bat. Remus marked in his notebook that Bell had a comfortable grip on the bat, and swung with more ease as his arms adjusted to the weight of the bat and the strength needed to hit the bludger.

"How did James tell Sirius and Peter?"

Lily's voice jolted Remus from his thoughts of the new team beater. "He didn't. I accidentally blurted it out."

"Remus!" Lily was shocked. It was not like Remus, with so many secrets of his own, to blab someone else's.

"I know, but I thought he had told them. This isn't something we would keep from each other."

While Lily wanted that to be true, while she wanted to trust that James had full confidence in his friends, she doubted the truth in Remus' statement. "Did you tell James and Peter about your relationship with Sirius at the beginning?" she asked.

"That's different," countered Remus.

"I know it's different. But did you?"

Remus shook his head. "James walked in on me and Sirius two summers ago. The three of us were at my house, and Sirius was helping me pack. I was going to spend the last two weeks of the summer at the Potters. We didn't hear the door open." Remus closed his eyes. "A wolf and a dog didn't hear the door open." He shook his head in disbelief at the memory.

Lily filed away the 'wolf and dog' comment for now, intending to ask James at a later date. "You didn't want him to know."

"It wasn't that. We were too wrapped in our own insecurities to deal with other people. Sometimes I think we still are."

Lily wrapped her arms around Remus and held on tight.

On the pitch, James glanced up in the stands, watching as Lily comforted Remus.

"Jealous?" asked Sirius as he paused in flight next to his friend.

"No, but I think you are."

Sirius frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

James smiled and, ignoring Sirius' question, blew his whistle. "Great practice, everyone. Now hit the showers so you can rush to complete your assignments due tomorrow." James followed his players to the ground and caught up with Joshua Bell. "Hey Bell, great playing today. You're showing improvement."

"Thanks. I've been really nervous. It's my first time playing on a real team, but I'm having fun with it. And Black has been great; he's been giving me some pointers and helping me with my technique."

"Yeah, I could tell. If you continue to play this well in practice, I just might pull you from the reserves and let you play in an actual game."

Josh's face lit up. "Really? That would be the best. Thanks, James." Josh ran ahead to catch up with the rest of the team while James held back to talk with Sirius.

"You giving the kid my spot already, Prongs? I thought you'd wait until we were out of here before you did that."

James shook his head. "It's not my fault his good. He's learned a lot, and says he's learned it from you. You should be proud of him."

"I'm not the natural teacher, Prongs."

"You're right. That's Moony."

"You just won't give up, will you?" Sirius huffed and lengthened his strides trying, and failing, to out distance James.

They reached the door to James' office, and James turned, refusing to let Sirius enter. "Go join the others in the locker room. They need to see that you're a part of the team, not my best friend. Then, go talk to Remus. The awkwardness between the two of you is getting unbearable. While you do that, I'm going to see the pretty girl who was sitting in the stands paying more attention to one of my best friends instead of my achievements on the Quidditch pitch. I still might be able to win over her attention, especially if you keep your end of this deal."

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. "I never agreed to this deal, so I wouldn't count on being able to see your girl."

"Go, Sirius. I can't do this much longer. Talk with him, yell at him. Hell, fight until the two of you can no longer stand. But go to him. He needs you right now. Go."

Realizing James wasn't going to let him the office, Sirius turned on his heals and slammed open the door to the locker room.

James felt sorry for putting his team through the upcoming wrath of Sirius Black, but they needed to know that they shouldn't be afraid to give Sirius his space, and then tell him to shove off when he needed it. He had been dealing with Sirius' personality issues since that first train ride over six years ago, it was time others learned to deal with Sirius as well.

--

**Author's Notes:** Sorry it took so long for this part to be posted. I finished it a while ago, but didn't feel confident with it. I still don't, but I've stopped working on it. Hopefully the next part won't take as long (and bonus, it will return to Lily and James. The Remus/Sirius drama should be wrapping up soon). Thanks for reading.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I in no way, shape, or form own any of the characters contained in my story. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe. Not all of the ideas contained in this story are original; I just thought I'd try my hand at writing what I considered fantastic concepts. I do not make any money from my writings. I write for the enjoyment it gives me, and the possible enjoyment reading gives others. With that being said, taking something from another writer without crediting them is plagiarism, and it's against the law. So please don't do it.

**Chapter 13**

Lily sat crossed legged on her bed facing her three best friends. She was nervous. Alice already knew about her strange relationship with James, so Lily could count on her support. And Marlene was falling in love with her own boy, so Lily thought Marlene would also be understanding.

But Dorcas was the wild card. She rejected everything about the new marriage law, and made sure everyone knew her opinion. Just the other day she sneered at a Ravenclaw couple for talking about getting married.

But Lily's relationship with James hadn't crossed the line into marriage territory. No, it jumped right across it and sailed toward dangerous ground.

"You should tell them, Lily. They need to know," said Alice, the calm of her voice comforting.

Lily nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry Marlene, Dorcas. I've been hiding from the both of you this past week, and it's not fair to either one of you, especially since you've been nothing but good to me when I've been repeatedly shutting you out. And I am sorry for that. I want to bring us closer together, like we were when we first met. And hopefully telling you this will do that."

"I thought you were going to tell us about your date with James?" said Marlene. "Did something happen? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but this is important. Our," Lily stumbled with the word, "date…it went well. But this goes beyond my date with James, and I'm not sure how to tell you." Lily twisted a loose strand of hair around her fingers, pulling slightly to feel the root tug on her scalp.

"They may be able to help," said Alice. "They'll have different opinions than us, and can help with figuring everything out. I can't be there as much as I'd like because of my wedding, and you shouldn't do all the research by yourself. It's got to be exhausting trying to deal with everything like you do."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Dorcas.

Lily took a deep breath before speaking again. Alice's encouragement was a brief relief, but Dorcas' brisk tone had her worried. "James and I aren't just practicing conjoined magic in all of our classes."

"What do you mean?" asked Marlene. "We've watched the two of you work together. You even switched partners so now you are together in every class."

"I know," said Lily. "We want it to seem like we're just practicing conjoined magic, but actually we're trying to develop control over our magic together."

"I think I'm more confused now then I was five minutes ago," said Dorcas. "What magic together?"

"James and I bound ourselves together." Lily sat staring at Dorcas and Marlene's stunned faces. She had feared this moment, the moment when two of her closest friends called her out on years of denial and repressed feelings towards James Potter.

"And how did you do that?" Marlene asked. Her face was one of wonderment, and gave Lily a bit of hope.

"I don't know all of the logistics, yet. I'm still researching."

"And what have you found in your research so far?" Dorcas' tone was clipped with anger.

Lily nervously glanced at Alice who nodded her encouragement. "Well, because another wizard didn't perform the charms necessary to completely bind us together, we're don't feel connected like a bound couple should feel."

"And how should a bound couple feel?" Dorcas spat the words at Lily. Her breathing was picking up and her face began to flush.

Marlene placed a comforting hand on Dorcas arm. "Hush, let her tell us at her own pace."

Lily smiled her thanks at Marlene before continuing. "Normally, a bound couple shares their magic. With James and I, we can feel our power together, and we work better when doing magic together, but we can't fully use our shared power yet. Dumbledore says it will continue to grow with time, as long as our feelings for each other continue to grow in their current direction."

"And what direction is that?" Marlene asked, a knowing smirk on her face.

Lily looked down at her folded hands in her lap. "I like him. I really like him."

Marlene moved to sit next to Lily. "And how does he feel about this?"

Lily smiled up at her friend. "I think he approves."

Marlene squeezed Lily's hands. "I'm happy for you. It's about time you realized what the two of you share."

Dorcas rolled her eyes at Marlene's statement. "What the two of the share? And what would that be, six years of hatred, heated arguments, name calling, and magical pranks?"

"Dorcas, you need to see past the surface. It goes deeper than the negative." Marlene continued to stroke Lily in comfort. "Their annoyance with each other always stemmed from mutual attraction, it just took Lily longer to realize it."

"Thank you, Marlene." Lily felt cheered by Marlene's understanding.

"So did all of this happen during your date on Saturday?" Dorcas asked.

"No, it's been happening since the beginning of the year." Lily lifted her hand to stop Dorcas from the tirade she was getting ready to spew. "I know I haven't told you anything. But I didn't want to admit it at first. It wasn't until McGonagall confirmed that we bound ourselves together that I forced myself to really look at our relationship and confront the pent up emotions I have when dealing with James."

Dorcas nodded. "Ok, fine. So first you failed to tell your friends that you now like the man you've claimed to hate since forever, we'll leave that be for now. And you also bound yourself to this same man. How? How does that happen?"

"Well, our research has shown that our feelings for each other are beginning to mirror each other to such a degree that our magic is drawn together. But Dumbledore says it's always been our aura. Apparently, the professors have been watching us since our first year. They say something about us always drew their attention."

Alice laughed. "With all the magic that you two flew at each other I'd say they were forced to take notice."

Lily blushed at Alice's statement.

Dorcas stood and began to pace the length of the room. "And you're all fine with this? Whatever this is?"

"What choice do we have?" asked Marlene. "It's already been done, now is when we find out how it was done, and more importantly, why."

Lily nodded. "Yes. Dumbledore said that the couples from the past whose bound status closely matches ours were bound together for a greater purpose. James and I think we might have a large part to play in the war after we graduate. We're using the time now to learn what we are capable of."

Marlene looked at Lily inquisitively. "But you said you and James are not like other bound couples. Do you think there will be a time when you are like them?"

Lily shrugged. "Right now, we can combine our magic for little spells, much like conjoined magic, but we can't share our magic. I mean, I can feel James and his power, but I can't take from his power and use it myself. And while bound couples rarely use that part of their relationship, it's still there."

"I didn't read anything like that when I was researching for Frank and I," said Alice.

"That's because so few couples still use that power. But if James and I became truly bound, that power would surely be possible. And if we are supposed to help during the war, then it would surely be an asset."

"What if you're not truly bound? You never go through with the ceremony and another wizard doesn't charm you together?" asked Marlene. "What if you stay how you are forever? Bindings are rare for a reason. McGonagall said so. And besides, you and James are the top witch and wizard in our year, possibly the top two students Hogwarts has seen in quite a while. It could be dangerous."

"We know," said Lily. "Remus thinks that if we formally become bound, our power would strengthen and be a strong force not seen for several generations."

Dorcas stopped her pacing to face Lily. "How long has Remus known?"

"A few days."

"And Alice? She's not surprised at this announcement. In fact, she's contributing to your side of the conversation."

"About the same," said Lily. "They guessed and confronted James and I."

"And what about Black and Pettigrew?"

"They accidentally found out yesterday morning."

Dorcas nodded, then took a deep breath. "And you, Lily? How long have you and Potter known?"

Lily twisted the strand of hair twined between her fingers even tighter. "Formally, since last Monday when James and I talked to Professor Flitwick."

"And informally?"

Lily's breath sped up at Dorcas' tone. "We knew something was wrong the Wednesday before that, but we didn't know what to do, or how bad it was."

"And you failed to mention this?" Dorcas was now shouting, her face red and angry, pointing directly at Lily.

"We tried, but no one believed us. You all said that the conjoined magic James and I were performing was normal, even after we told you that it wasn't working according to the textbook. Conjoined magic is supposed to take weeks to even appear between a nicely matched pair, especially for young witches and wizards, and we were performing it at a higher level. What were we supposed to do?" Lily was close to tears. The more Dorcas fought with her, the worse she felt about herself as a friend.

"But now you're talking about being formally bound to the man you hate." Dorcas' voice echoed off the high ceiling of the dorm room.

"I don't hate him, Dorcas." Lily matched her voice to Dorcas'. "I may even love him. And so what if I do. I have to marry by January, why not marry James Potter?"

"Because he's been a right prat to you since that first train ride. Because he's always been arrogant and self-centered. And because the law is stupid anyway. None of us should be forced to follow it."

Lily rose from her bed midway through Dorcas' screams and was now face to face with her. "Not all of us have the privilege of being pure blooded like you. Some of us need to protect our families, and if this allows me to do so, then I will marry by my birthday. And you're wrong, Dorcas. Just because James was annoying years ago doesn't mean he's a prat now. If you can't see that, then I don't know if we can continue to talk anymore."

"Fine," shouted Dorcas. "I'll be sure to give you plenty of space. Just don't expect me to comfort you when he breaks your heart." With that, Dorcas stormed out to the dormitory and raced down the stairs.

Lily felt her heart drop to her stomach. She collapsed to her knees where she was standing. "What if he does break my heart?" she whispered, the thought never occurring until that moment.

Alice and Marlene rushed over to either side of her. "Hush," said Alice. "James wouldn't do that. He loves you far too much."

Lily continued to rock on the floor as her two remaining friends comforted her.

**LJLJLJLJLJ**

Lily bit her bottom lip nervously. She and James were patrolling along the first floor and he hadn't spoken to her all night. "You can talk to me, you know."

James continued ahead, the tip of his wand illuminating the corridor. "I'm not sure where we stand." He glanced at Lily before continuing. "It's just, right now are we Head Boy and Girl and only allowed to talk of things pertaining to the school? Or are we Lily and James, two confused and stressed out seventh year students trying to comfort each other?" James shrugged his shoulders. "But then, we could be two friends excited about the upcoming marriage of Frank and Alice while simultaneously worried about the relationship between Sirius and Remus. And we could be two colleagues trying to deal with complex magic that's way beyond our understanding."

Lily reached her hand over and entwined her fingers in James'.

James gave Lily's hand a gentle squeeze. "The problem is, we are all these things, and I don't know how to separate them like I think you want me to. I can't be Head Boy while we're patrolling and not think about our binding when it's more clear when you are near me. And I can't worry about Sirius and Remus when I'm with them and not think about you, because I know our relationship is just as fragile as theirs."

It was Lily's turn to squeeze James' hand reassuringly.

James stopped their movement up the stairs and turned Lily to face him. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I never thought of it like that." It was true: Lily didn't think of her complex relationship with James like that. For her, James was Head Boy, former archenemy, and current friend with a hint of more. She didn't want to spend her time thinking about the implications of their relationship.

But apparently, James did think about it. He thought about their past while trying to figure out their future together.

The stairs started to move and Lily held on to James for balance. "You think about us a lot."

"All the time."

Lily nodded. "I told Marlene and Dorcas about us."

Lily's hand was still encased in James', and he rubbed the back of it tenderly with his thumb. "How did that go?" The stairs stopped moving and James lightly tugged Lily forward to the second floor.

"Not well. I don't think Dorcas will be speaking with me for a few days. Actually, she may never speak to me again."

"We could hear her in the boys' dorm."

Lily looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. "And you didn't say anything until now?"

"It wasn't my place to bring it up."

"Since when has that stopped you?"

"Lily, I already told you. I don't know where we are right now. I know how I want us to be, and I know we're not there. But I don't know what you want."

Lily removed her hand from James'. "To start, I want you to stop being a prat. A year ago you would have made a scene in front of everyone in the common room after hearing a shouting match like that. And now you don't even bring it up?"

"I grew up, Lily. I thought making a scene was what made me a prat, not giving you you're privacy."

Lily shook her head as she peered into the classrooms on their right. "Since when are you concerned about my privacy?" Lily quickened her pace and ran up the next set of stairs.

James hurried after her. "Don't be like this."

Lily turned quickly, forcing James to stop short. "Like what?"

James lowered his wand, dousing his face in shadows. "Like you were a year ago." If he weren't standing so close to Lily, she wouldn't have heard him.

Her quick intake of breath was barely audible. "I'm sorry," she whispered before turning away.

"Lily."

Lily shook her head and ran ahead of James. She ran down the third floor corridor and up the stairs to the fourth floor; then she turned a corner and stopped short. Her heart rate spiked as she stared at the two students in front of her. "Mr. Black, Mr. Vaisey. To what do I owe the honor of docking Syltherin points for catching you out of bed?"

"Now, now, Miss Evans, you're not really going to take points, are you?" Regulus Black mocked Lily as he strutted towards her. "It would be the end of the world if you did. Besides, it's not like I won't earn double the points you take away tomorrow. What else would a good student do?"

Lily gripped her wand tighter and let out a sigh of relief when she heard James' footsteps behind her.

"What's going on here?" asked James, pointing his wand in Regulus' face.

"Nothing you or your girlfriend should worry about, Potter. In fact, I think it would be best if you pretend you never saw us."

James looked past Regulus to Richard Vaisey. "Fifty points from both of you for being out of bed past curfew. And be warned that Dumbledore will hear about this tomorrow morning."

Regulus glared in the wand light. "If that is your wish."

James looked between the two sixth year Syltherins in front of him. "And a personal escort to the Syltherin common room."

"But my dear Potter, we are in no way finished our business here," Regulus said. He spoke calmly, with a distinct taste of pure blood contempt for the wizard standing in front of him.

"It was not an invitation, Black, it was a command. Your brother will hear of this as well."

Regulus laughed. "My brother? Do you think I care what that traitorous scamp thinks? Mother has burned him from the family tapestry, never to be spoken of again. What do you think he will do to me? Hmm? I wonder—will he write home to tell our dearest mother? No, I don't think that's plausible. Oh, I know, he'll withhold my inheritance. No, that can't be it as he no longer has an inheritance."

Regulus began to pace in front of James as he talked, his hands clasped elegantly behind his back. "Could he want to have a talk with me? To try to change my behavior? We tried that, Potter. Don't you remember? I believe it was at your insistence that Sirius try to 'reason with me'. Wasn't that the phrase you used? 'Reason with me'? That plan failed, didn't it? So what now? What could my darling brother do now that would make me care one iota about him? Or you or your girlfriend for that matter?"

As Regulus spoke, James could feel his connection to Lily grow stronger. He drew power from her and with a wave of his wand James silently bound Regulus' hands and feet and silenced his speech.

Vaisey glared at James from behind Regulus' bound form. "You have no idea what you just did."

With a quick flick of her wrist, Lily bound Vaisey in a similar style. "Do you think we should return them to the dungeons, or go straight to Dumbledore?"

Regulus laughed without sound at the two Gryffindors. "You'll never win," he mouthed.

James shook his head and turned to Lily. "What were these two doing when you got here?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see anything, and my adrenalin was running too high to take anything in."

Regulus continued to laugh silently at James and Lily.

"Anyway," Lily continued, "I don't see anything now. Whatever they did, they either finished, or erased any signs of it when they heard me running towards them."

"To the dungeons then, and we'll speak with Dumbledore first thing tomorrow morning."

Lily followed James lead and added her magic to his to levitate the two Syltherins. The two were silent as they made their decent into the belly of the castle. Though Black and Vaisey could not speak, they could hear. Lily could feel James' power flow through her as they made their way down the stairs. It was comforting after the scare she received from unexpectedly running into the sixth years.

As they approached the Syltherin common room, James felt Lily's breath grow calmer. He didn't know if it was because they would soon be rid of the two Syltherins or because their connection was the strongest he'd ever felt it.

Once the four were in front of the wall that would open to the Syltherin common room, Lily and James released the magical bonds on Black and Vaisey.

Regulus smiled cockily as he addressed Lily and James. "I must thank you for your accompaniment thus far. Would you like to come in? Or do you have more pressing matters to attend to?"

"Shut up and get in there, Black," James said.

"My pleasure," said Regulus as he slowly walked backwards toward the wall. He nodded at Vaisey, who whispered a few words, and then both boys disappeared behind the stone wall.

"What do you think they were doing?" asked Lily.

"I don't know, but let's head back to our common room before something else happens."

Lily nodded in agreement and followed James back to the Gryffindor Tower.

They were almost at the portrait of the Fat Lady before either spoke again. Lily was busy making sure no more students were out of bed while James contemplated the strong force he felt toward Lily that night.

"You calmed down because of me," James said suddenly.

Lily jumped, having been startled by James' quiet declaration. "I suppose I did. How did you know?"

"I could feel you. Tonight, as soon as you ran into those two, I could feel you, everything about you. At first you were scared, that's why I hurried to catch up to you. Then, you trusted me. Why? Why did you feel trust instead of panic when Black and Vaisey could have easily had more Syltherins lying in the shadows ready to pounce?"

Lily blushed in the shadowed corridor. "I could feel your confidence in the situation. You knew what you were doing, and I trusted your judgment." Lily shook her head. "I didn't even think that it could be an ambush."

"It was because of your trust that my power grew. It was enhanced by yours."

The two stopped outside of the entrance to their common room. "I felt everything so much stronger tonight," Lily said. "I could feel how nervous you were right before you rounded the corner and saw Regulus and Richard. And then I felt your magic flow through me, and I gave mine willingly to you. You used my magic to bind Regulus."

James nodded. "It was my thoughts, my actions, but your magic."

"Do you think we'd be able to do it again?" Lily asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect.

James chuckled lightly before sobering. "Are you alright, though? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I was scared, but you were there, and that was comforting."

James nodded and moved towards the Fat Lady. "You know, if we're meant to fight in the war like Dumbledore thinks, we're going to have to work on our reflexes. We both froze tonight, albeit briefly. And while that's fine for now, inside these walls, it won't be once we are outside of them."

Lily moved ahead of James and whispered the password. "We'll have to see Professor Valens tomorrow and ask for private sessions with her. She'd be able to help us gain perspective for what we could be facing."

Lily stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. "I was distracted when I ran into them. That's what scared me most. I was too caught up in my own thoughts which prevented me from paying attention to my surroundings."

James reached out and placed his hand on Lily's shoulder. "I was part of that problem, Lily. You can't deny that."

Lily leaned into the warmth coming from James. "But that's part of the issue. You'll always be a problem for me. No matter what I do, I think of you and how you would act. And if I'm truthful, I always have." Lily turned so she could face James. "For six years I thought about you before I acted. It's not going to change, so I need to learn how to use it to my advantage, and not risk my life in the process."

James' hand moved from Lily's shoulder to twine in her hair. "You've thought of me like that for six years?"

Lily playfully batted James' hand out of her hair. "I know where you're going with this, and we're not talking about it tonight. I'm too tired, both physically and mentally, for that conversation."

James took a few steps back, allowing Lily the space she needed. "When?"

"I don't know, James. We'll talk when I'm ready."

James nodded. "Goodnight, Lily."

Lily felt the familiar flutter in her stomach as James said her name. "Goodnight, James." And the flutter increased as James' smile lit up his face. Lily blushed and ran up the stairs.

"It turned out to be a very good night," James mumbled to the empty common room before running up to the boys' dorms to recount the night's events with Sirius.


End file.
